Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday called for expanded cooperation between China and the United States across trade, health, tourism, agriculture and law enforcement, as he held high-level talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing amid growing global geopolitical tensions.
According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, Xi said China-U.S. economic and trade relations continue to deliver “mutual benefits and win-win outcomes,” while stressing that equal dialogue and consultation remain “the only right approach” for managing differences between the world’s two largest economies.
The meeting between Xi and Trump, which lasted nearly two hours, comes at a sensitive moment for bilateral relations as both countries remain divided over tariffs, technology restrictions, Taiwan and broader strategic influence in Asia and beyond. Despite the tensions, Xi signalled a willingness to maintain diplomatic momentum and prevent relations from deteriorating further.
“Both sides should preserve the recently achieved good momentum in relations,” Xi said during the talks, according to CCTV. He added that the “new positioning” of China-U.S. relations established during the summit would serve as strategic guidance for ties “for the next three years and beyond.”
Trump, who arrived in Beijing accompanied by senior American officials and top business executives including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia chief Jensen Huang, described Xi as a “great leader” and expressed confidence that ties between the two countries could improve further. Ahead of the meeting, Trump said he would encourage China to “open up” more sectors of its economy to American industries and investment.
The discussions extended beyond trade and economic cooperation. CCTV reported that both leaders also exchanged views on major international crises, including the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the Ukraine war and tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The talks reflected growing pressure on both Washington and Beijing to cooperate diplomatically at a time of heightened global instability.
Taiwan remained one of the most sensitive issues during the summit. Chinese officials reiterated Beijing’s opposition to U.S. political and military support for Taiwan, warning that mishandling the issue could increase the risk of confrontation between the two powers. Analysts continue to view Taiwan as the biggest flashpoint in China-U.S. relations despite efforts by both sides to stabilise economic ties.
The summit also comes amid efforts to preserve a fragile trade truce reached after months of tariff disputes and restrictions on advanced technology exports. China has been seeking relief from U.S. semiconductor controls and artificial intelligence-related export curbs, while Washington wants broader market access and stronger protections for American companies operating in China.
Observers say the carefully managed public messaging from both leaders reflects a mutual desire to avoid another major economic conflict that could further damage global markets already facing uncertainty from inflation, supply chain disruptions and geopolitical tensions.
While no major breakthrough agreements were immediately announced, officials from both sides described the talks as constructive and significant for future engagement between Washington and Beijing. Markets and diplomatic observers are now closely watching whether the summit leads to concrete progress on trade, technology cooperation and regional security issues in the coming months.