Trump: "The relationship between China and the U.S. is going to be better than ever."

Donald Trump met this Thursday with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on the central day of his state visit to China, and declared that the relationship between the two powers "is going to be better than ever".

The summit began with a welcoming ceremony featuring military honors on the steps of the monumental building opposite Tiananmen Square, where Trump and Xi shook hands for several seconds before greeting their respective delegations.

Trump described the meeting as "probably the biggest summit in history" and assured that in the United States "people are not talking about anything else."

In his opening remarks, the U.S. president emphasized the personal connection with Xi: "You and I have known each other for a long time; in fact, it is the longest relationship between presidents of both countries that has ever existed, and that, for me, is an honor."

Trump also emphasized the strength of the direct channel between the two leaders: "We have a fantastic relationship. We get along well. When we've had difficulties, we've resolved them. You call me; I call you. And when we had a problem, we solved it very quickly, and that's why we're going to have a fantastic future together."

Xi Jinping, for his part, opened the meeting by urging Washington to "be partners and not rivals" and outlined the roadmap that Beijing proposes: "Achieve success together, seek common prosperity, and forge a correct path for great powers to relate in this new era."

The Chinese leader also stated that "the common interests of China and the U.S. outweigh their differences" and congratulated Trump on the 250th anniversary of American independence, which is celebrated this year.

This is the first visit of Trump to Chinese soil in nine years; the previous one was in 2017, during his first term.

The U.S. delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Ambassador to China David Perdue, along with a strong business representation: Elon Musk (Tesla), Tim Cook (Apple), Jensen Huang (Nvidia)—who joined at the last minute during the Air Force One stop in Alaska—and representatives from Boeing, BlackRock, Visa, Mastercard, Meta, and Goldman Sachs.

As a preparation for the summit, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng concluded negotiations in Seoul on Wednesday that were described as "constructive" by the Chinese state agency Xinhua.

The summit's agenda covered three main pillars: bilateral trade, Taiwan, and Iran.

In commercial matters, the meeting aims to reinforce the truce agreed upon in Busan in October 2025, which halted a tariff escalation that had reached 145% from the U.S. and 125% from China.

Regarding Iran, Rubio stated that Washington hopes Beijing will play a more active role with Tehran, given that approximately 45% of China's gas and oil imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Regarding Taiwan, Beijing urged Washington to "handle the matter with caution" and to stop the arms shipments to the island, after Trump indicated that he would address the issue directly with Xi.

Trump summarized his administration's bet like this: "It is an honor to be with you, it is an honor to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the U.S. is going to be better than ever."