Trump meets Xi in Beijing

President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on May 13 with a delegation that included Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang and Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, opening a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping centered on trade, technology and regional security. (cnbc.com) The White House had said in March that Trump and Xi would meet in Beijing on May 14 and 15, with a reciprocal visit by Xi to Washington later this year. Chinese and U.S. officials framed the talks as an effort to preserve a trade truce reached after the leaders met in Busan in October 2025. (cnbc.com) Taiwan, rare earths, artificial intelligence and the war in Iran were also on the agenda, according to U.S. and Chinese accounts. ### Why did Trump bring U.S. chief executives to Beijing? Jensen Huang and Elon Musk were part of the entourage that traveled with Trump to China on May 13, according to Reuters. Trump said before the meetings that he would ask Xi to “open up” China so U.S. companies could do more business there. Reuters reported that many of the executives on the trip came from companies trying to resolve specific commercial issues with Beijing, including Nvidia’s effort to regain access to the Chinese market for advanced artificial-intelligence chips. CNBC reported that Trump had also invited executives including Apple’s Tim Cook, BlackRock’s Larry Fink and Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg to join the visit. (usnews.com) Beijing said it welcomed deeper commercial engagement, and Xi said China’s opening “will only open wider,” according to CNBC’s account of the summit readouts. ### What did Xi say about Taiwan? Xi used some of his strongest language of the summit on Taiwan. CNBC, citing Xinhua, reported that Xi told Trump mishandling the issue could put the entire U.S.-China relationship in “great jeopardy” and warned the two countries would have “clashes and even conflicts” if it was not handled properly. (usnews.com) Xi also described Taiwan as “the most important issue” in bilateral relations, according to the same report. The Taiwan issue was already sensitive before Trump arrived. Reuters reported on May 13 that a $14 billion U.S. arms package for Taiwan was awaiting Trump’s approval, while China had reiterated its opposition to American weapons sales to the island. (cnbc.com) The U.S. readout of the leaders’ initial meeting, as described by CNBC, did not mention Taiwan. ### What did the two sides say on trade and market access? Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury secretary, led preparatory talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in South Korea before the summit. Xi said those talks produced “overall balanced and positive outcomes,” according to CNBC. (cnbc.com) A White House official cited by CNBC said Trump and Xi discussed expanding market access for U.S. businesses in China and increasing Chinese investment in American industries. Beijing also signaled interest in buying more U.S. goods. CNBC reported that China expressed interest in purchasing more American oil, and earlier reporting said the Trump administration wanted larger Chinese purchases of soybeans, Boeing aircraft and other products. (usnews.com) ### What happened on Nvidia’s H200 chips? Reuters reported on May 14 that the U.S. Commerce Department had approved roughly 10 Chinese companies — including Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance and JD.com — to buy Nvidia H200 chips, according to sources familiar with the matter. The report linked the move to Huang’s push for a breakthrough during Trump’s China trip. (usnews.com) Nvidia’s China business had been constrained by U.S. export controls, and Reuters said access to H200 sales was one of the business issues hanging over the visit. Markets treated the report as a sign that Washington might be willing to ease some restrictions, though no formal public policy rollback was announced in the material reviewed. (cnbc.com) ### What comes next after the Beijing meetings? May 15 was scheduled as the second day of the Beijing summit, with Trump expected to round out talks with Xi, according to the Associated Press live coverage. The White House said in March that Trump and first lady Melania Trump would later host Xi and Peng Liyuan in Washington for a reciprocal visit, though it did not give a date. (usnews.com) Xinhua’s special coverage listed additional summit events in Beijing, including a state banquet, a visit to the Forbidden City and cultural appearances alongside Xi. Any formal joint statements or detailed readouts from the closing sessions would be the next concrete marker for whether the two sides turned the Beijing talks into specific trade or security commitments. (usnews.com) (apnews.com)