Xi Jinping to Trump: US, China Should be Partners, Not Rivals

• Says Washington, Beijing both stand to lose from confrontation 

•Agree that Strait of Hormuz must be open

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

China’s President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump yesterday agreed on a “new vision” of building a “constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability,” according to an official statement.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said Xi stressed Washington and Beijing should be “partners, not rivals,” as the two leaders met in the Chinese capital for the Beijing summit.

China and the US “both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation,” Xi said in opening remarks at the Great Hall of the People, China’s ceremonial state building, adding that the meeting had drawn global attention.

“We should help each other succeed, prosper together, and find the right way for major countries to get along in the new era,” Anadolu Agency, the state-run Turkish news outlet quoted him as saying.

Xi said the world is undergoing transformations “not seen in a century” and described the international situation as fluid and turbulent, adding that it has reached “a new crossroads.”

He said China and the US faced questions “vital to history, to the world, and to the people,” including whether they could “create a new paradigm of major country relations,” jointly address global challenges, and “provide more stability for the world.”

“They are the questions of our times that you and I need to answer as leaders of major countries,” Xi said.  He said he  “always believed” Beijing and Washington have “more common interests than differences,” adding that one country’s success represented “an opportunity for the other” and that stable bilateral ties were beneficial for the world.

Xi noted that he looked forward to further discussions on issues important to both countries and the wider international community, and to working with Trump “to set the course for and steer the giant ship of China-US relations,” with the aim of making 2026 “a historic landmark year” that opens “a new chapter” in bilateral ties.

But while the White House called the Xi-Trump meeting “good,” it did not mention any discussion about Taiwan, which China claims as its own. According to the Chinese official statement, Xi was blunt with Trump.

“Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations. If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy,” Xi warned Trump.

He emphasised that economic ties between the two nations are “mutually beneficial and win-win in nature.”

“Yesterday, our economic and trade teams produced generally balanced and positive outcomes. This is good news for the people of the two countries and the world,” Xi said. On Wednesday, top Chinese and US trade negotiators met in South Korea to hold what Beijing described as “candid, in-depth, and constructive exchanges.”

“Facts have shown time and again that trade wars have no winner,” Xi said, emphasising “equal-footed consultation” as the “only right choice,” while urging the two sides to “jointly sustain the good momentum that they have worked hard to create.”

The two sides agreed to build a bilateral relationship of constructive strategic stability to provide strategic guidance for ties over the next three years and beyond, which Xi said would be welcomed by “the people of both countries, as well as the international community.”

Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, along with executives from major US companies, including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, Cargill’s Brian Sikes, Citigroup’s Jane Fraser, GE Aerospace’s Larry Culp, Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon, Micron’s Sanjay Mehrotra, and Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon.

After their sit-down at the Great Hall, Xi took Trump for a tour of the Temple of Heaven, where they posed for a photo in front of the “Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.” “Incredible, beautiful,” said Trump of China when asked about his talks with Xi at the temple.

The White House, meanwhile, concluded that Trump “had a good meeting with President Xi”.

“The two sides discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation between our two countries, including expanding market access for American businesses into China and increasing Chinese investment into our industries,” it said.

Xi and Trump additionally agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must be open for the free flow of energy, and Iran should not have a nuclear weapon.