Trump and Xi open Beijing talks as world watches US-China reset

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping began high-stakes talks in Beijing on Thursday, opening a closely watched meeting that could shape the next phase of relations between the world’s two largest economies.

The bilateral talks began at the Great Hall of the People in the Chinese capital, with the agenda expected to include trade, Iran and Taiwan. The meeting also marks the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade.

Xi set the tone at the start of the meeting by stressing the global importance of the encounter.

“The whole world is watching our meeting,” Xi told Trump, adding that the United States and China “should be partners, not rivals.”

"The whole world is watching our meeting," he said. "Currently, transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe, and the international situation is fluid and turbulent. The world has come to a new crossroads. Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides trap and create a new paradigm of major country relations? Can we meet global challenges together and provide more stability for the world?"

"They are the questions of our times that you and I need to answer as leaders of major countries," he went on. "China and the United States both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. We should be partners, not rivals. We should help each other succeed and prosper together, and find the right way for major countries to get along well with each other in the new era."

Trump responded with warm praise for the Chinese leader, saying: “You’re a great leader. Sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway because it’s true. I only say the truth.”

On potential business deals, he added: "We have amazing people, and they're all with me. Every single one of them. We asked the top 30 in the world. Every single one of them said yes... I wanted only the top. And they're here today to pay respects to you and to China. And they look forward to trade and doing business. And it's going to be totally reciprocal on our behalf."

The public exchange reflected an effort by both leaders to present the meeting as a stabilising moment after months of pressure on US-China ties.

The summit is focused on maintaining a fragile trade truce, addressing the Iran war and discussing US arms sales to Taiwan, while Trump was joined by a high-profile business delegation that included Elon Musk and Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang.

The Beijing visit is also heavy with symbolism. Trump last visited China in November 2017, during his first term as president, making this trip the first visit to China by a US president in nearly nine years. The programme includes meetings at the Great Hall of the People, a visit to the Temple of Heaven and a state banquet, followed by further talks over tea and lunch on Friday.

The latest summit follows a previous Trump-Xi meeting in Busan, South Korea, in October 2025, where the two sides moved to ease tensions after a difficult period in the trade relationship. The World Economic Forum said that meeting led to US tariffs on Chinese imports being reduced from 57% to 47%, with Trump later rating the outcome as “12 out of 10.”

This time, however, the backdrop is more complicated. The war in the Middle East has added pressure to energy markets and widened the strategic stakes, while trade, technology controls, artificial intelligence, rare earths and Taiwan remain difficult issues between Washington and Beijing.

Trump wants China to open further to US industry, while Beijing is seeking relief on export controls and a softer US stance on Taiwan.

For Washington, the summit offers a chance to secure economic and diplomatic gains while keeping competition with China from sliding into deeper confrontation. For Beijing, it is an opportunity to present itself as an indispensable global power and push for what it sees as a more balanced relationship with the United States.

The leaders’ opening words suggested both sides wanted to project calm and control. But the real test will be whether the public warmth in Beijing can produce concrete progress on trade, security and the wider balance of power.