US and China leaders hold high-stakes talks at White House to ease trade and security tensions

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at the White House on Thursday for high-stakes talks aimed at easing tensions between the world's two largest economies. The meeting addressed major disagreements over trade, Taiwan, artificial intelligence, and Iran.

Summit Talks

Xi warned against the Thucydides Trap, a term describing the risk of conflict between a rising power and an established one, and called for dialogue to prevent competition from turning into confrontation. The summit featured a lavish ceremony, a state dinner with top tech executives, and warm words from both leaders, though few concrete breakthroughs emerged on substantive issues.

Key Issues

On Iran, Xi stated that Beijing supported the US and Iran returning to an interim agreement from June to stop the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though no breakthrough was reported. Xi also urged that the two militaries keep regular contact and improve crisis-communication tools. Taiwan remained a flashpoint, with Chinese state media reporting that Xi asked Trump to oppose Taiwanese independence and handle the matter carefully. Trump previously viewed arms sales to Taiwan as a bargaining chip, drawing criticism from US lawmakers.

Trade and Tariffs

Both sides extended a tariff truce from November to February. Analysts think Washington wants better concessions ahead of a possible G20 summit meeting in Miami in December. Despite the trade war, Chinese imports to the US keep rising, putting China on track for a second straight year of a $1 trillion trade surplus with America.