US President Donald Trump is in Beijing for high-stakes talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. While major breakthroughs on divisive issues remain uncertain, Trump announced that Xi has offered to help negotiate an end to the Iran conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
As Iran's largest oil buyer, China’s diplomatic leverage is seen as pivotal. Trump noted that Xi also assured him Beijing will not supply military equipment to Tehran.
However, tensions over Taiwan remain a critical flashpoint. During closed-door meetings, Xi warned that differences over the self-governed island—which Beijing claims as its territory—could trigger a US-China conflict. This follows Trump's approval of an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan last December, though delivery is pending. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned China that taking Taiwan by force would be a "terrible mistake."
On the trade front, Trump aims to establish a bilateral board to manage disputes, hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s tariff wars and boost Chinese purchases of US agricultural goods.
A key economic development emerged when Trump told Fox News that China has agreed to purchase 200 Boeing passenger jets, marking its first order of US-made commercial planes in nearly a decade. "Boeing wanted 150, they got 200," Trump stated.
Despite this, Boeing's shares fell by over 4%. The market reaction reflects investor disappointment, as earlier media reports and comments from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had fueled expectations of a mega-order exceeding 500 aircraft.
