Trump’s Beijing visit aims to reverse 25 years of U.S. economic vulnerability, ambassador says
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President Trump wrapped up a two-day visit to Beijing on Friday, the first trip to China by a sitting U.S. president in nine years, with both sides hailing the meetings as productive but announcing no major breakthroughs on trade, Taiwan or the Iran conflict.
U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue described the summit as “candid, cordial and consequential,” saying Trump’s visit was aimed at correcting what the ambassador called 25 years of American strategic vulnerability caused by economic dependence on China. Perdue cited four specific areas of concern: rare earth elements, magnets, commercial shipbuilding and pharmaceuticals.
“The Chinese have shown the world, frankly, that they’re willing to weaponize that, and that’s why President Trump went to China,” Perdue said.
Trump announced that China agreed to purchase U.S. soybeans and Boeing aircraft, including a commitment to order 200 jets. However, neither the White House nor Beijing formally confirmed the Boeing deal. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun declined to confirm the aircraft purchase, saying only that both countries could promote “development and revitalization by strengthening cooperation.” The announcement echoed a 2019 agreement in which China executed only about two-thirds of a promised soybean purchase, Perdue acknowledged.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are overseeing trade negotiations, Perdue said, noting that active Section 301 investigations — which allow the U.S. government to probe and respond to unfair foreign trade practices — give American negotiators significant leverage.
Greer said Sunday that Trump is weighing whether to continue arms sales to Taiwan as part of broader U.S.-China negotiations, noting that previous presidents including Barack Obama and George W. Bush had also paused such sales at various points.
On Taiwan, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Trump that mishandling the issue could lead to “clashes and even conflicts” between the two nations. Trump said he listened but made no commitment. On Iran, both leaders said they want to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply flows and which has been effectively closed by Iran.
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Trump invited Xi to visit the White House on Sept. 24. The summit was the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since October and the first presidential visit to China since Trump’s first term in 2017.
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