Donald Trump meets Xi Jinping in Beijing; US-China delegation level talks begin

US President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping during his official visit to China, and received a ceremonial welcome at the Great Hall of the People. The event included an inspection of a Guard of Honour, the playing of the US national anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner, and a 21-gun salute.

Trump saluted as Xi stood beside him, followed by the playing of the Chinese national anthem. The summit in Beijing began amid ongoing differences over Iran and Taiwan, with both sides also focusing on trade and other issues that have been part of their recent discussions.

Following the ceremony, the China-US delegation level talks began with Xi Jinping and Donald Trump leading their respective groups of representatives.

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Before leaving for Beijing, Trump said he would discuss the war in Iran with Xi but added that he did not expect to need China’s help. He told reporters, "I don't think we need any help with Iran. We'll win it one way or the other. We'll win it peacefully or otherwise." However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said just before the summit that Washington hoped to persuade China to help press Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. Rubio told Fox News, "It's in their interest to resolve this. We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to walk away from what they're doing now and trying to do now in the Persian Gulf."

Trump’s remarks came as hopes for a lasting peace deal weakened and Iran strengthened its control over the Strait of Hormuz. China has close ties with Iran and buys large amounts of its oil. The fragile US-Iran ceasefire and possible paths towards a permanent end to the war were expected to be part of the discussions between Trump and Xi.

Meanwhile, a day before the summit, China reiterated its strong opposition to US arms sales to Taiwan. In December, the Trump administration announced an $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan, the largest ever for the self-ruled island that Beijing considers its own territory. Zhang Han, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said in Beijing, "We firmly oppose the United States engaging in any form of military ties with China's Taiwan region, and firmly oppose the United States selling weapons to China's Taiwan region. This position is consistent and unequivocal." Zhang added that Taiwan is the "core of China's core interests" and that the US is duty-bound to honour commitments made by successive administrations as international obligations.

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Trump and Xi last spoke by phone in February, discussing Taiwan, trade, security issues, and soybeans. Trump said Xi would consider increasing soybean purchases from the US as a goodwill gesture before the Beijing visit. 

The two leaders last met in October in Busan, South Korea, where trade, fentanyl, and rare earths were key topics. Trump described that summit as "amazing" and rated it "12" on a 10-point scale. Chinese state media quoted Xi as saying the leaders had "reached a consensus" on resolving "important economic and trade issues."

Trump had originally planned to visit China from March 31 to April 2, but the trip was delayed due to the US-Israeli war with Iran. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in March that President Xi understood that it's very important for the president to be here throughout these combat operations right now.