U.S. President Donald Trump

May 18, 2026 12:47 PM

China signals tariff cuts, advances in farm market access after Trump-Xi summit

China and the United States have agreed to expand agricultural trade through tariff reductions and tackle non-tariff barriers and market access issues, China's commerce ministry said on Saturday after this week's summit in Beijing. The agreements are "preliminary" and will be "finalised as soon as possible," the ministry said following U.S. President Donald Trump's visit. China's farm imports from the U.S. still face an additional 10% levy after last year's rounds of tit-for-tat tariffs sharpl...

May 16, 2026 9:33 AM

Trump says he is losing patience with Iran, did not ask China for favors

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday his patience with Iran was running out and that Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed Tehran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but China gave no indication it would weigh in. As he flew back from Beijing on Friday after two days of talks with Xi, Trump said he was considering whether to lift U.S. sanctions on Chinese oil companies buying Iranian oil. China is the biggest buyer of Iranian oil. His comments shed no light on whether Beijing might use i...

May 15, 2026 2:49 PM

Trump leaves Beijing with few wins but warm words for Xi

U.S. President Donald Trump left China on Friday with no major breakthroughs on trade or tangible help from Beijing to end his Iran war, despite two days spent heaping praise on his host, Xi Jinping. Trump's visit to America's main strategic and economic rival, the first by a U.S. president since his last trip in 2017, had aimed for tangible results to beef up his sagging approval ratings ahead of crucial midterm elections. The summit was filled with pageantry, from goose-stepping soldiers to ...

May 15, 2026 11:41 AM

Trump touts business wins as China airs Iran, Taiwan concerns

U.S. President Donald Trump entered his final talks with Xi Jinping on Friday touting economic wins that gave markets little to cheer, while Beijing warned Washington about mishandling Taiwan and said its war with Iran should never have started. Trump is making the first visit by a U.S. president to China, America's main strategic and economic rival, since his last in 2017, and has been seeking tangible results to beef up his dented approval ratings ahead of crucial midterm elections. "We've m...

May 15, 2026 5:19 PM

Trump says US and China are aligned on Iran, Tehran must make a deal soon

U.S. President Donald Trump said his patience with Iran was running out and that he had agreed in talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping that Tehran could not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and must reopen the Strait of Hormuz. With official agreements from the U.S.-China summit yet to be released, Trump's comments gave little indication of whether Beijing, the main buyer of Iranian oil, might use its influence with Tehran to end a conflict it said should never have started. "We've settl...

May 14, 2026 4:43 PM

New attacks reported on ships near Hormuz as Trump discusses Iran with Xi

U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the Iran war with China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, while new attacks on vessels near the Strait of Hormuz brought a reminder of the costs of a prolonged stalemate, with peace talks stalled. After Trump and Xi met, a White House official said the leaders had agreed that the strait should be open, and that Iran should never obtain nuclear weapons. China is close to Iran and the main buyer of its oil. In an interview with CNBC in Beijing, ...

May 14, 2026 9:39 AM

China’s Xi signals trade progress as ‘biggest summit’ with Trump begins

China's Xi Jinping hailed positive trade negotiations with the United States at the start of a two-day summit with President Donald Trump in Beijing on Thursday, with discussions also set to cover the Iran war and U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. With his approval ratings dented by his entanglement in the Middle East, Trump's hotly anticipated trip to China - the first by a U.S. president to America's main strategic rival since his last visit there in 2017 - has taken on added significance. ...

May 13, 2026 3:12 PM

Tech rivalry, distrust sap summit hopes for Trump-Xi AI push

U.S. President Donald Trump will put artificial intelligence at the forefront of talks this week with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a first that highlights the technology's strategic heft but substantive commitments are unlikely, said two U.S. officials with knowledge of preparations. Trump's Beijing visit unfolds as the U.S.-China AI rivalry intensifies into a contest some observers have compared to a Cold War-style nuclear arms race. Pressure to engage has grown after Claude maker Anthropic's la...

May 13, 2026 1:56 PM

Ahead of Trump-Xi summit, China warns on US arms sales to Taiwan

China reiterated its strong opposition to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan on Wednesday, calling on Washington to honour its commitments ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's arrival for a summit in Beijing. The issue of democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, and weapons sales to Taipei is certain to be discussed during two days of meetings this week between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The U.S. is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend it...

May 12, 2026 11:59 AM

Xi-Trump summit may yield farm deal, but China has limited soybean appetite

China and the United States may reach a farm deal at their summit this week that expands Beijing's purchases of grains and meat, but market watchers said they did not expect major new soybean purchases beyond what was agreed in a deal last October. Agriculture is among the less-contentious areas of the bilateral relationship, but the final shape of any deliverables from the May 14-15 summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping remains uncertain just days ou...