{"id":384,"date":"2026-05-15T15:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=384"},"modified":"2026-05-15T15:35:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:35:00","slug":"trump-and-xi-find-common-ground-but-taiwan-and-iran-still-threaten-clashes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=384","title":{"rendered":"Trump and Xi find common ground, but Taiwan and Iran still threaten clashes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping wrapped up critical talks on Friday, claiming important progress in stabilizing U.S.-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world\u2019s two biggest powers on Iran, Taiwan and more.<\/p>\n

Read more Weekend traffic alert: Closures on SR 51, Loop 101, I-10, Loop 303 (May 15-18)<\/a><\/p>\n

Xi welcomed Trump at his official residence, Zhongnanhai, on Friday for their final engagement of the summit before the U.S. leader\u2019s return to Washington. The leaders took a short walk through the grounds that feature ancient trees and Chinese roses, and strolled through a covered passageway with green columns and archways painted with birds and traditional Chinese mountain scenes.<\/p>\n

Over tea and lunch, Trump and Xi \u2014 with top aides and translators in tow \u2014 huddled for nearly three hours of talks before the U.S. leader completed his three-day visit to China.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been really a great couple of days,\u201d Trump told reporters.<\/p>\n

Xi, for his part, called it a \u201cmilestone\u201d visit. \u201cWe have established a new bilateral relationship, or rather a constructive, strategic, stable relationship,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But the optimistic outlook collides with some difficult truths about the thorniest issues between the two superpowers.<\/p>\n

RELATED STORY | <\/b>Taiwan warning leads Trump’s China summit<\/b><\/p>\n

Beijing has shown little public interest in U.S. entreaties to get more involved in solving the conflict in Iran, even though Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity that Xi had in their conversations offered to help. In recent weeks, the U.S. State Department has accused Chinese firms of providing satellite imagery to the Iranian government and the Treasury Department has moved to target Chinese oil refineries accused of buying oil from Tehran, as well as shippers of the oil.<\/p>\n

And the White House believes China can still do more to stem the flow of Chinese-made precursor chemicals into Mexico used to make illicit fentanyl that has wreaked havoc on many U.S. communities.<\/p>\n

Xi, meanwhile, warned Trump during private talks that their differences on the self-ruled island of Taiwan, if handled poorly, could hurtle the world’s dominant powers toward \u201cclashes and even conflicts,\u201d according to Chinese government officials.<\/p>\n

Trump appeared impressed by the bucolic grounds, remarking the roses were the most beautiful he had ever seen. Xi promised to send him some rose seeds.<\/p>\n

The compound is wrapped around two artificial lakes that had been built for the pleasure of emperors. Zhongnanhai is often compared to the White House, the Kremlin or South Korea\u2019s Blue House. But unlike the other presidential residences, Zhongnanhai does not serve as the main venue for diplomatic visits. The invitation appeared to be an attempt by Xi to extend a personal touch to a U.S. leader who appreciates big gestures.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s a warm person, actually. But he\u2019s all business,\u201d Trump said of Xi in the Fox News interview. \u201cThere\u2019s no games.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese government also bid farewell to Trump with great pomp.<\/p>\n

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi saw a smiling Trump off at the airport. And schoolchildren dressed in Air Force One’s light blue and white colors waved American and Chinese flags in a coordinated movement as the U.S. president arrived to board the plane.<\/p>\n

Taiwan remains the most important issue for China<\/h4>\n

Xi’s sharp language on Taiwan loomed large over the visit, with Chinese government officials amplifying that differences on the self-ruled island pose the biggest risk to U.S.-Chinese relations.<\/p>\n

But Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News that U.S. policy toward Taiwan was \u201cunchanged\u201d and cautioned that it would be \u201ca terrible mistake\u201d for China to try to take Taiwan by force. He also framed Xi’s comments as standard practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey always raise it on their side. We always make clear our position, and we move on to the other topics,\u201d said Rubio, who was among senior aides to join Trump for the talks.<\/p>\n

RELATED STORY | <\/b>Trump’s China summit puts Taiwan in the spotlight amid fears of a potential global crisis<\/b><\/p>\n

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China in recent weeks has sought to put more focus on its view that Taiwan sits at the \u201ccore\u201d of its interests and is key to ensuring a stable relationship with the U.S. Trump at moments has shown ambivalence toward Taiwan, raising speculation that he could be open to loosening ties with Taipei.<\/p>\n

Trump has demanded Taiwan increase defense spending, and in December, the White House announced an $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan, the largest ever to the island democracy.<\/p>\n

But the U.S. has yet to begin fulfilling the arms sales, and Trump had said he expected to discuss the matter with Xi in Beijing. He\u2019s also groused that Taiwan \u201cstole\u201d America\u2019s semiconductor business and called on Taiwan to pay the U.S. for protection.<\/p>\n

China wants the Strait of Hormuz opened<\/h4>\n

The leaders agreed that the Strait of Hormuz \u2014 effectively closed since the start of the Iran conflict \u2014 needs to be reopened to support global energy demands About 20% of the world\u2019s oil flowed through the strait before the war started on Feb. 28.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel very similar about (how) we want it to end,\u201d the president said with Xi at this side. \u201cWe don\u2019t want them to have a nuclear weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n

White House officials say Xi was also opposed to any implementation of tolls on vessels crossing the strait and expressed interest in China potentially purchasing U.S. oil to reduce Chinese dependence on Gulf oil in the future.<\/p>\n

Trump earlier this week had downplayed the importance of talks with Xi on the 11-week-old Iran war that has led to surging energy prices and threatens to plunge the global economy into recession if the conflict does not conclude soon.<\/p>\n

But before Air Force One could land in Beijing, Rubio said administration officials would make the case to the Chinese officials about why they should be invested in prodding Iran to come to terms to end the war.<\/p>\n

RELATED STORY | <\/b>China’s Xi warns Trump that differences over Taiwan could lead to conflict<\/b><\/p>\n

Indeed, the Chinese, who have been critical of the U.S. and Israeli bombardment of Iran, hold unique leverage as Iran\u2019s biggest trading partner. The Chinese government has managed to weather the economic damage caused by the war with the help of its strategic oil reserves, but that backstop is not limitless. Economists say the Iran conflict could still have a big impact on China\u2019s export-driven economy.<\/p>\n

Will Trump announce any major business deals?<\/h4>\n

The White House, ahead of the visit, insisted that Trump wouldn\u2019t be making the trip without an eye toward securing results before he leaves, suggesting there could be announcements coming on trade.<\/p>\n

Trump says some \u201cfantastic trade deals\u201d had been struck during the visit, but did not offer further details<\/p>\n

The U.S. side had been hoping to nail down Chinese commitments to buy U.S. soybeans and beef. Trump told Fox News that Xi had indicated a commitment for China to buy 200 Boeing jets from the U.S.<\/p>\n

The leaders on Thursday discussed increasing U.S. agricultural purchases by the Chinese and opportunities for both sides to expand investment into each other’s markets, according to the White House. Trump administration officials also want to work toward establishing a Board of Trade with China to address commercial differences between the countries.<\/p>\n

Trump, whose delegation for the trip included the CEOs of Mastercard and Visa, said he also raised with Xi expanding access to the China market for the U.S.-based credit card companies.<\/p>\n

Read more Gas prices got you stressed? More commuters turning to carpools<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trump and Xi end \u201cmilestone\u201d talks with pledges to stabilize ties, but disputes over Taiwan, Iran and trade still cloud U.S.-China relations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\nTrump and Xi find common ground, but Taiwan and Iran still threaten clashes - Arizona Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=384\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump and Xi find common ground, but Taiwan and Iran still threaten clashes - Arizona Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Trump and Xi end \u201cmilestone\u201d talks with pledges to stabilize ties, but disputes over Taiwan, Iran and trade still cloud U.S.-China relations.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=384\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arizona Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-15T15:35:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=384#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=384\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9c272b4cf18e019eb01eb3c1b5d855fb\"},\"headline\":\"Trump and Xi find common ground, but Taiwan and Iran still threaten clashes\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-15T15:35:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=384\"},\"wordCount\":1308,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=384#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/1eac34d2f8f0a99de3f01823c5dfa1c0.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"World News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=384#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=384\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=384\",\"name\":\"Trump and Xi find common ground, but Taiwan and Iran still threaten clashes - Arizona Moving Insider\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=384#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=384#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/1eac34d2f8f0a99de3f01823c5dfa1c0.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-15T15:35:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9c272b4cf18e019eb01eb3c1b5d855fb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=384#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=384\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=384#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/1eac34d2f8f0a99de3f01823c5dfa1c0.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/1eac34d2f8f0a99de3f01823c5dfa1c0.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682,\"caption\":\"President Donald Trump walks with China's President Xi Jinping at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound, Friday, May 15, 2026, in Beijing. 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