As it happened: Trump, Xi wrap up landmark summit with warm words; stark differences remain on Taiwan
by Lisa Visentin, Tom Housden · WAtodayPinned post from 6.59am
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What happened today
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We’re ending our coverage of US President Donald Trump’s landmark summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Here’s what we covered today.
- Trump and Xi held a 90-minute working lunch on Friday at Zhongnanhai, the Chinese leadership compound in the heart of Beijing. On arrival, the two leaders took a leisurely walk through the historic former imperial gardens before appearing briefly in front of the media.
- Trump said the two had “made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries” and said they had discussed Iran and felt “very similar”, though Xi did not comment.
- A brief US summary of Thursday’s talks highlighted what the White House called the leaders’ shared desire to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and Xi’s apparent interest in American oil purchases to reduce China’s dependence on Middle Eastern supplies.
- The two leaders attended a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday night to conclude the first day of meeting, which began with a lavish welcome ceremony featuring a military guard of honour and a crowd of cheering schoolchildren.
- During yesterday’s talks, Xi warned that the issue of Taiwan could push relations between the two powers into “a very dangerous place”, with the potential for “collision or clashes”.
- Thursday’s meeting lasted for two hours – much longer than expected. Afterwards, Xi accompanied Trump on a tour of the city’s ancient Confucian Temple of Heaven.
- A high-powered delegation of American business leaders accompanied Trump to China, including Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Jensen Huang, Larry Fink, David Solomon and Kelly Ortberg.
- Trump said he had invited Xi for a state visit to the US in September.