Trump Leaves Beijing: Warm Words, Ancient Trees, and an Unfinished Agenda

Part 6 of our series: a complete editorial arc, from lead-up to completion

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"An Incredible Visit" — With Very Little To Show For It

Trump's final hours in Beijing had a distinctly personal flavor. After tea and lunch at the Zhongnanhai compound — a walled former imperial garden at the heart of Chinese political power, adjacent to the Forbidden City — Xi gave his American guest a rare private tour of its ancient grounds. A hot microphone captured Trump marveling at trees hundreds of years old.

"Let me tell you, all the trees on this side are over 200 to 300 years old," Xi said through an interpreter. When Trump was told some were over a thousand years old, he replied simply: "They live that long?"

Xi noted that very few foreign leaders had ever been received inside the compound. "Even after we started having some, it's still extremely rare. For example, Putin has been here." Then he invited Trump to touch a 280-year-old tree.

It was a warm, almost surreal end to a summit heavy on pageantry — and notably light on binding commitments. "It's been an incredible visit. I think a lot of good has come of it," Trump told Xi at their final lunch of lobster balls and Kung Pao chicken. By the time he boarded Air Force One, a more candid picture had emerged.

Boeing: 200 Jets, Maybe 750 — Details Still Unclear

The deal that was meant to be the summit's showpiece economic win remained a work in progress even as Trump's plane departed.

Trump confirmed that China has agreed to buy 200 Boeing jets, fitted with GE Aerospace engines — the first significant Chinese aircraft order in nearly a decade. He added that the deal includes an option to rise to as many as 750 planes "if they do a good job with the 200."

Markets have not been impressed. Boeing shares fell more than four percent on Thursday when the 200-jet figure was first announced — well below the roughly 500-plane package that had been widely discussed before the summit. They remained down on Friday. No details have been released on which aircraft types are involved, which Chinese airlines will operate them, or when deliveries would begin.

As we reported in our previous article, analysts have long noted that Chinese aircraft commitments made during diplomatic summits are as much political as commercial. The actual operators are often unclear until close to delivery. China is simultaneously in talks with European rival Airbus, which has outpaced Boeing in Chinese deliveries every year since 2018.

The potential upside is real: China needs as many as 9,000 new jetliners by 2045. If the 750-plane option materializes, it would surpass IndiGo's 500-aircraft Airbus deal as the largest single aviation order in history. But "if" is doing substantial work in that sentence.

Taiwan: Trump Stayed Silent — On Purpose

The most consequential exchange of the entire summit may have been the one where Trump said nothing at all.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump revealed that Xi had asked him directly whether the United States would defend Taiwan if China attacked. Trump refused to answer.

"There's only one person that knows that, and it is me. I'm the only person," Trump said. "That question was asked to me today by President Xi. I said, I don't talk about that."

Trump added that he and Xi "talked a lot about Taiwan," that he made no commitments to Beijing on the issue, and that he would make a decision shortly on a pending arms sale — after speaking with Taiwan's leadership.

Behind closed doors, Xi had issued what U.S. officials described as a stark warning: mishandling Taiwan could send relations spiraling into conflict. Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded with the minimum necessary: "U.S. policy on the issue of Taiwan is unchanged as of today."

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung thanked Washington for expressing its support. For Taipei, in a summit dominated by trade deals and Iran diplomacy, that reassurance — however formulaic — mattered.

For deeper context on what is at stake over Taiwan and why Beijing treats it as its absolute red line, see our overview: Trump in Beijing: The High-Stakes Summit That Could Reshape the World.

Iran: Patience Running Out, Commitment Still Missing

On the issue Trump came to Beijing most urgently needing help with, the results were characteristically ambiguous.

Trump said he and Xi agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons and that the Strait of Hormuz — largely shut since the U.S.-Israeli war began on February 28 — must reopen. Xi reportedly also promised not to send Iran military equipment. "That's a big statement," Trump said on Fox News.

But Beijing's own foreign ministry issued a notably blunt statement before the final day of talks had even concluded. The conflict, it said, "should never have happened" and "has no reason to continue." The wording was clearly aimed as much at Washington as at Tehran.

Trump, for his part, denied asking Xi for any favors on Iran. "When you ask for favors, you have to do favors in return," he told reporters. He also said his patience with Tehran was running low. "I am not going to be much more patient. They should make a deal." He added he would be willing to accept a 20-year freeze on Iran's nuclear program — but only with "a real" guarantee.

Oil prices rose around three percent to near $109 a barrel on Friday, reflecting the market's conclusion that no breakthrough on the strait is imminent.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran had received signals that Washington was willing to continue talks, and said Iran welcomed any Chinese input. But he was equally clear that Tehran does not trust the Americans — and that his country is ready for either diplomacy or a return to fighting.

As analysts noted throughout this summit series, China's strategic calculus on Iran has not changed: Beijing wants the strait open for its own economic reasons, but it will not publicly cut off its most important Middle Eastern partner at Washington's request. What Xi offered Trump was alignment on the desired outcome — not a commitment to help achieve it.

A Glimpse Behind the Curtain: "Constructive Strategic Stability"

One of the more revealing moments of the summit had nothing to do with deals or warnings. It was a phrase.

Xi proposed that the two countries describe their relationship going forward as "constructive strategic stability" — a deliberate departure from the "strategic competition" framing used by the Biden administration, which Beijing had always resented. Trump did not object.

"Until now, China hasn't proposed an alternative. Now they have," said Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University. "If the U.S. side agrees, that is progress."

Whether Washington formally adopts the new framing remains to be seen. But the fact that it was proposed and not rejected speaks to how dramatically the tone between the two capitals has shifted — and how much of that shift reflects Trump's weakened hand going into these talks.

Xi also told Trump that trade negotiations had reached "balanced and positive outcomes." He talked up long-term relationship stability. Trump talked about Boeing orders and soybean purchases. Their different vocabularies told the story of the summit more clearly than any official readout.

Jimmy Lai, Pastor Jin Mingri: A Tale of Two Prisoners

On human rights, the summit produced a split result — and a sobering reminder of what the CCP's repression looks like up close.

Trump told reporters on Air Force One that Xi appeared to be "giving very serious consideration" to releasing Pastor Jin Mingri, founder of Beijing's Zion Church, who was arrested last November along with nearly 30 other pastors and church staff in the largest crackdown on Chinese Christians since 2018. The arrests followed new government rules banning unauthorized online religious preaching and what Beijing calls "foreign collusion."

The case of Jimmy Lai is a different matter entirely. The veteran pro-democracy media entrepreneur, founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, was sentenced in February to 20 years in prison on charges of colluding with foreign forces. Trump said Xi told him directly: "That would be a tough one."

Rubio, speaking to NBC News, said the U.S. would be "open to any arrangement that would work for them, as long as he's given his freedom." Beijing's response was silence — China's foreign ministry has consistently maintained that Hong Kong affairs are an internal matter.

Lai's case remains one of the most visible symbols of the CCP's systematic destruction of Hong Kong's promised freedoms. His 20-year sentence, handed down in February, drew condemnation from governments and rights organizations around the world. It got a mention at a presidential summit — and changed nothing.

Sanctions on Chinese Oil Buyers: A Decision Pending

One potentially significant loose end: Trump said he discussed with Xi the possibility of lifting U.S. sanctions on Chinese oil companies purchasing Iranian crude — and that he would make a decision "over the next few days."

Among those sanctioned is Hengli Petrochemical, one of China's largest private oil refiners. The sanctions were part of Washington's effort to cut off Iranian oil revenues funding its military. Whether Trump lifts them — essentially as a goodwill gesture toward Beijing — will be an early test of how much the summit actually changed U.S. policy on Iran enforcement.

Treasury Secretary Bessent has been urging Beijing to use its leverage with Tehran. But as experts have noted throughout, the U.S. has consistently stopped short of going after the Chinese banks that actually matter in facilitating Iranian oil trade — a move that could trigger the kind of economic escalation neither side wants. For the full background on this dynamic, see our earlier analysis: Trump Arrives in Beijing: The Summit That Will Test Who Really Holds the Cards.

The Final Verdict: Pageantry With Purpose, Results Without Resolution

Trump leaves Beijing with a Boeing deal that underwhelmed investors, agricultural commitments without published details, a shared statement on the Strait of Hormuz that commits China to nothing specific, and a new diplomatic vocabulary that Xi — not Trump — introduced.

He also leaves with no extension of the trade truce confirmed. When asked directly, Trump said he and Xi "did not discuss tariffs." Brookings Institution fellow Patricia Kim called an extension of the existing truce "the most basic benchmark" for summit success. By that measure, the summit's verdict is still open.

What the Beijing visit did accomplish was stabilization: two leaders who were heading toward deeper confrontation sat down, shared food, toured ancient gardens, and agreed — in broad terms — on several shared interests. In the current state of global geopolitics, that is not nothing. But it is also considerably less than what Trump's political situation demanded.

"Hopefully our relationship with China will be stronger and better than ever before!" Trump posted on Truth Social before his final meeting with Xi. By the time Air Force One lifted off from Beijing, that hope remained exactly what it was when the trip began — a hope.

(This is the final article in our six-part series on the Trump-Xi Beijing summit. The full series is available at udumbara.net/news.)

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Sources:

1. Reuters – "Trump leaves Beijing with few wins but warm words for Xi" (May 15, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-xi-set-second-day-talks-after-taiwan-warning-2026-05-14/
2. Reuters – "Trump says US and China are aligned on Iran, Tehran must make a deal soon" (May 15, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-says-he-chinas-xi-agree-iran-cannot-have-nuclear-weapons-2026-05-15/
3. Reuters – "Trump says he discussed Taiwan arms sales with Xi Jinping, decision soon" (May 15, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/trump-says-he-discussed-taiwan-arms-sales-with-xi-jinping-decision-soon-2026-05-15/
4. Reuters – "Trump says China to buy 200 Boeing jets, order could rise up to 750" (May 15, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/trump-says-china-potentially-buy-750-boeing-planes-2026-05-15/
5. Reuters – "Xi gives Trump rare tour of secret garden at heart of Chinese government" (May 15, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/world/china/xi-gives-trump-rare-tour-secret-garden-heart-chinese-government-2026-05-15/
6. Reuters – "Trump says China may release the detained pastor but tycoon Lai 'is a tough one'" (May 15, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-says-china-may-release-detained-pastor-tycoon-lai-is-tough-one-2026-05-15/
7. Reuters – "Trump: spoke with Xi about lifting sanctions on Chinese companies that buy Iranian oil" (May 15, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-spoke-with-xi-about-lifting-sanctions-chinese-companies-that-buy-iranian-2026-05-15/

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