Trump and Xi meet in Beijing, announce Boeing deal, ease tensions

Donald Trump left Beijing with a claimed order for 200 Boeing jets and the possibility of selling 750 in all, but the summit with Xi Jinping produced far less movement on the hardest issues in the relationship. The two leaders met on May 14 and 15 at the Great Hall of the People and later at Zhongnanhai, where they held a working tea and lunch as both sides said the talks made progress in stabilizing ties.

The substance, however, remained narrow. The discussions covered trade, Taiwan, artificial intelligence, Iran and critical minerals, yet the deepest disagreements were still on display. Chinese officials again called Taiwan the most important issue in the relationship, and Xi warned that mishandling the question could push U.S.-China relations into a “very dangerous place.” The readouts from both governments stressed that differences remained even as the temperature came down.

Trade delivered the clearest headline. Trump said China agreed to buy 200 Boeing planes, with the potential to expand the order to 750 if the first batch went well. He also said China would purchase 400 to 450 General Electric engines, though he did not give a final number. The Boeing announcement fell short of what analysts had expected, with Reuters reporting that many had anticipated a package of about 500 aircraft. Boeing shares dropped after the announcement, underscoring how much of the market had expected a larger payoff from the visit.

Iran added another layer of uncertainty. The summit had been delayed in March after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, and Trump said Xi told him China wanted to help negotiate an end to the conflict and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also said Xi assured him that China would not provide Iran with military equipment. Even so, China showed little public appetite for becoming more directly involved in the war.

The trip also included a humanitarian appeal. Trump said Xi would consider the case of Ezra Jin Mingri, the detained pastor of Zion Church, after Jin’s daughter asked him to raise the matter during the visit. Trump invited Xi to the White House on September 24, 2026, while future encounters could also come at APEC in Shenzhen in November and the G20 in Florida in December.

For all the pageantry, the visit was notably slimmer than Trump’s 2017 trip, which included a Forbidden City dinner, a Tiananmen Square parade and about $250 billion in announced business deals. This time, the message was less about grand reconciliation than about keeping a strategic rivalry from slipping further out of control.