President Donald Trump and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping met at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People for a red-carpet arrival ceremony, which commenced the summit between the two leaders.
Inside the hall, both parties exchanged opening remarks, with the Chinese leader expressing hope that the two nations would become “partners, not rivals.”
President Trump replied by promising relations between the two countries will be “better than ever before.”
“We are going to have a fantastic future together. I have such respect for China. The job you’ve done. You are a great leader,” President Trump affirmed, assuring the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that the business delegation alongside him is looking “forward to trade and doing business.”
The Conversation About Taiwan
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, President Xi described Taiwan as the most significant issue in relations between the two nations. The PRC leader warned that the handling of Taiwan will determine whether bilateral ties will remain stable or escalate.
Both Parties Agree on The Strait of Hormuz
Regarding the current war in Iran, both presidents agreed that the Strait of Hormuz should remain a free waterway, rejecting the notion of Iran imposing a toll on the use of the shipping lanes, according to a White House summary of the meeting.
President Xi additionally “expressed an interest” in increasing U.S. oil imports to reduce the PRC’s “dependence” on crude traveling along the maritime checkpoint.
Secretary Rubio Comments on U.S.'s Stance on Taiwan
“From our perspective, any forced change in the status quo and the situation that’s there now would be bad for both countries,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News in an interview following the summit. “There would be repercussions for that globally, not just from the United States.”
Secretary Rubio stood firm on the U.S.’s policy toward the self-governing island, stating that it remains “unchanged.”
The State Secretary also informed the media outlet that talks about U.S. arms sales to Taiwan were featured “prominently.”
According to Secretary Rubio, the PRC was “very upset” about the U.S.’s approval to sell $11 billion worth of arms to the island, additionally acknowledging the Chinese military’s increased expansion.
“This pace of growth in the Chinese military over the last 10 years has no precedent,” he said. “I don’t think it’s just limited to Taiwan. I think they have ambitions to ultimately be able to project power globally the way the U.S. does.”
