![Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and US President Donald Trump [EPA]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/09/25/rcv.YNA.20260925.PEP20260925146801009_P1.jpg)
US President Donald Trump said Friday (local time) that his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping had been "very productive," though the two countries had yet to announce any specific agreements by the day after the talks.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that the meeting with Xi had been "very productive for both the United States and China," adding that "tremendous things are going to happen."
The two leaders held a summit at the White House on Thursday (local time) and shared a state dinner. The visit came as a return call after Trump traveled to Beijing in May. Before the talks, Trump said the two sides would discuss "urgent issues related to security, technology and superintelligence," adding that "the decisions we make now can promote peace and prosperity for decades to come."
Trade was the most closely watched issue heading into the summit. The two countries once imposed retaliatory tariffs of more than 100 percent on each other before entering a truce. That trade truce, originally set to expire in November, has been extended through Jan. 10 next year. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been pressing China to follow through on its existing commitments.
Rare earths were also a central agenda item. The minerals are essential for weapons and clean energy equipment, and China controls more than 85 percent of the world's refining and processing capacity. Beijing has restricted exports of five rare earth elements and has warned it may add seven more. The two sides have been managing supply through month-to-month interim arrangements, keeping uncertainty high. Ker Gibbs, former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, said the situation amounts to "living paycheck to paycheck," adding that "most American companies want a stable supply."
Taiwan also loomed over the talks. The United States approved a record $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan last December, but a second package worth $14 billion has been on hold for months. Trump has described Taiwan arms sales as "a very good negotiating card." Xi was expected to invoke the 1982 US-China joint communique — in which Washington pledged to gradually reduce arms sales to Taiwan — and demand a halt.
The ongoing war in Iran, now in roughly its seventh month, was also likely on the agenda. China imports about half its crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz, making it vulnerable to a prolonged conflict. Many analysts, however, are skeptical that Beijing can exert meaningful influence over Tehran in practice.
On AI, the United States proposed a new "notification framework" under which the two sides would alert each other to major AI incidents that pose security threats.
Most US media outlets gave the summit a lukewarm reception, noting that while the pageantry was impressive, the two sides made no visible progress on their core disputes and largely confined themselves to managing the relationship on a stable footing. The May Beijing summit had produced tangible deliverables — the creation of a trade and investment committee and Chinese commitments to purchase Boeing aircraft and American agricultural products. This time, no joint statement or official announcement had emerged by Friday, the day after the talks.
Trump also shared Xi's views on AI in his post. He wrote that Xi, "like almost everyone else, seemed to like calling what is so badly and inaccurately named 'Artificial Intelligence' by its far more accurate and important name, 'Super Intelligence' (SI)." Trump added: "'Super' it shall be. Everyone agreed last night."
why37@heraldcorp.com
