Cordial Trump-Xi meeting is a ‘good sign,’ says longtime U.S. diplomat

U.S. President Donald Trump reviews an honor guard with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on May 14, 2026 in Beijing, China.

Alex Wong/Getty Images AsiaPac

Alex Wong/Getty Images AsiaPac

President Trump is visiting China, the first U.S. presidential visit to China in nearly a decade, for a meeting with its leader, Xi Jinping.

On Thursday evening, the two attended a state banquet in Beijing, and both countries released readouts, or summaries of that private meeting. According to Xinhua, China’s official news agency, President Xi issued a warning on Taiwan, saying that if the U.S. did not handle relations with Taiwan properly then the U.S. and China would clash and their entire relationship would be in great jeopardy.

While Xi’s focus seemed to remain on Taiwan, the White House reported that Trump talked about trade and the war in Iran. The U.S. readout stated that both sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and that “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.” But the Chinese state media summary only reported that the Middle East was discussed, it did not specifically mention Iran’s nuclear program or the Strait of Hormuz.

Longtime U.S. diplomat, Richard Haass, told Morning Edition that each country’s readout reflects just how different their priorities are from each other.

“For China, obviously, what matters most is Taiwan, Taiwan, Taiwan,” Haass said. “And for the U.S., there’s a range of issues. But for this president, first and foremost, is trade and reducing the imbalance of trade that exists between us.”

Haass predicts that no negotiations or compromises, especially on big issues, will be made during the summit. Though he says the calm demeanor and positive words exchanged between the two presidents during the summit are a “good sign.”

NPR’s Steve Inskeep spoke with Haass further about Trump and Xi’s meeting and what each country might be hoping to get from the other.

Listen to the full conversation by pressing the play button in the blue box above.

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