Key bilateral and global issues on the table during final day of US president’s trip to Beijing
SCMP ReportersPublished: 8:49am, 15 May 2026Updated: 8:53am, 15 May 20260 New UpdateIntroductionThis live article is freely available to our registered users. Please log in or create an account below.
On Friday, the final day of his Beijing trip, US President Donald Trump will again meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, this time over tea and a working lunch.
The two leaders are expected to continue discussions on critical bilateral and global issues, with Xi framing the talks around “constructive strategic stability” – a phrase he used during Thursday’s formal session to signal consensus with Trump.
Trump arrived in the Chinese capital on Wednesday evening and was officially welcomed by Xi on Thursday morning with a full honour guard ceremony at the Great Hall of the People.
The leaders then held two hours of formal talks before visiting the Temple of Heaven, a Ming‑era cultural site with more than 600 years of history, and attending a lavish state banquet.
US officials described the meeting as “very constructive” and said it covered economic cooperation, trade, fentanyl, Taiwan, Iran, Ukraine and North Korea.
While Taiwan was not mentioned in the White House summary, Xi called it “the most important issue” in bilateral ties, warning Trump of potential “clashes and even conflicts” if mismanaged.
Trump is scheduled to leave Beijing later in the day. It is his second state visit to China in nearly a decade.
Reporting by Teresa Frontado, Mark Magnier, Orange Wang, Dewey Sim, Alyssa Chen, Cici Cao and Shi Jiangtao
