What was achieved at the meeting between Trump and Xi in Beijing. Analysis

US President Donald Trump praised his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping as a success, during which "many problems" were solved. But, as has been noted in the press lately, Washington's bravura statements often have little to do with reality. What the American and Chinese sides discussed at the meeting in Beijing, what agreements they came to, and whether this will affect relations between China and Russia, can be found in Izvestia.

About Taiwan and Iran

The Taiwan issue has become the most intense moment in the talks between the two leaders. Xi Jinping noted that this is the most important issue in the bilateral relations between the United States and China: if it is properly resolved, relations between the powers will be stable. Otherwise, "clashes, threats, and even conflicts" are possible. According to a White House official, Trump did not actually respond to Beijing's warnings in any way.

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who took part in the visit, despite the sanctions imposed on him by Beijing, told the press that the US policy towards Taiwan remains unchanged. China declares that Taiwan's independence and peace in the Taiwan Strait area are "incompatible like fire and water." The island is a world leader in the production of chips, the largest consumers of which are China and the United States.

How will the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine affect the meeting of the leaders of the United States and China? Analysis

Xi suggested building partnerships to avoid the "Thucydides trap" when major powers are fighting for dominance. The partnership, according to Beijing, will make it possible to achieve mutual success and prosperity. But it is obvious that the United States intends to continue arming the island, despite Beijing's displeasure, verbally recognizing Taiwan as part of China. Such "strategic uncertainty" has already become a characteristic feature of Trump's policy.

• Trump, who remained silent about Taiwan, noted that the parties discussed the situation around the Iranian conflict and came to similar conclusions. The United States is counting on China's participation in forcing Iran into a deal. But then Beijing tried to avoid the topic of the Iranian conflict in silence. According to foreign analysts, China has not committed itself to Iran.

About trading

• Trump took representatives of large American businesses with him to Beijing, just as he did in 2017 when he visited China during his first term as president. This time he was accompanied by Larry Fink (BlackRock), Tim Cook (Apple), Elon Musk (Tesla), Jensen Huang (Nvidia), Kelly Ortberg (Boeing) and many other top managers. However, some analysts see this not as a repeat of the successful strategy of 2017, when the United States managed to conclude deals worth $253 billion, but as a recognition of capitulation in the trade war unleashed by Trump and an attempt to conclude agreements on new terms.

National policy specifics: the Trump-Xi meeting will not bring the United States and China closer

The parties will once again play their cards both in bilateral relations and in the international arena.

• The intrigue centered around the sale of advanced Nvidia H200 AI chips to China: despite the fact that the United States has allowed the supply of ten Chinese companies, so far no deals have been conducted. U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer said that chips were not the main topic of discussion. Instead, according to official statements from the United States and China, the parties agreed to create mechanisms to regulate trade, supply goods worth about $30 billion that do not require special licenses, and work together to ensure security in the field of artificial intelligence development.

• The United States managed to reach an agreement on the sale of Boeing 737 MAX passenger aircraft to China — during Trump's visit in 2017, an agreement was reached on the supply of 300 aircraft to China, but after the deterioration of relations between the countries, French Airbus occupied this niche. Demand for aircraft in China persists even now, when Europe is facing an air transportation crisis due to the conflict in the Middle East and fuel shortages. However, Trump's achievement did not impress the markets: instead of a deal to sell 500 aircraft, China agreed to only 200. After this news, Boeing shares fell by more than 4%.

• The United States was counting on three-year soybean supply contracts to support American farmers affected by Chinese sanctions imposed in response to the duties. In October 2025, the United States and China managed to agree on the supply of 25 million tons of soybeans to Beijing, and producers hoped that the parties would be able to conclude an equally large-scale deal. Trump said after the meeting that he had agreed on the supply of agricultural products to China for "tens of billions of dollars," but it is not yet known whether soybeans are included in the deal, or whether their sale will take place under previous contracts.

Passing on the fare: Europe and China have become more likely to trade in transit through the Russian Federation

How is this possible in the era of sanctions and what investments can Russia attract?

• The moratorium on duties imposed by the United States on Chinese goods expires on May 25. Since the leaders' meeting was held without incident, it is expected that the trade truce will be extended. Nevertheless, there has been no reset in Sino-American relations. The summit did not bring significant deals that could interest investors either. The Chinese market reacted by falling: the Shanghai index fell by more than 1%, the Hong Kong index by almost 2%.

About Russia

• Trump has made no secret of his intention to "detach" Russia from China, but his visit took place at a time when the United States was bogged down in the conflict in Iran and could no longer dictate terms. Since there were no significant breakthroughs at the summit, the main achievement of Washington and Beijing is the maintenance of diplomatic relations between the countries. Foreign analysts suggest that the strengthening of relations between Beijing and Washington should worry Moscow. The fact that the last face-to-face meeting between the leaders of China and Russia took place in September 2025, and Trump's alleged refusal to transfer enriched uranium from Iran to Russia, are presented as weakening Moscow's position.

• But in fact, there is no talk of any breakthrough in US-China relations: Trump has failed to lift restrictions on the supply of components for the US military industry, which is critically dependent on Chinese rare earths. The fact that the United States is forced to seek China's favor is also indicated by the fact that on the eve of the summit, the US military allowed three Chinese tankers with Iranian oil to pass, despite the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Some experts also pay attention to Trump's behavior at the summit, who sipped champagne after Xi Jinping's toast, although the American president practically does not drink after the death of his older brother.

• As expected, the topic of the Ukrainian conflict never came up at the meeting of the leaders of the United States and China. Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Beijing is expected on May 20. The meeting was called "routine" because Russia and China are strategic partners, and their relations, according to Vladimir Putin, "are going through the best period in history." The parties will discuss trade and economic relations and international affairs.

When preparing the material, Izvestia took into account the opinions of:

• the Americanist Malek Dudakov;
• the American writer Dmitry Drobnitsky;
• Pavel Dubravsky, a political consultant and columnist.