President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump held formal talks on May 14 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, agreeing on what Xi called “a new vision of building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability”—a framework that, per the Chinese readout, “will provide strategic guidance for China-U.S. relations over the next three years and beyond.” The day included a 21-gun salute on Tiananmen Square, a joint visit to the Temple of Heaven, and a state banquet at which Trump called Xi a “friend.” It is the first state visit by a U.S. president to China since Trump’s visit nine years ago.
Xi defined “constructive strategic stability” through four pillars: positive stability with cooperation as the mainstay, healthy stability with competition within proper limits, constant stability with manageable differences, and lasting stability with expectable peace—stressing that this “is not a slogan” but “means actions in the same direction.” On economics, Xi reported that the Wednesday Bessent–He Lifeng preparatory talks in South Korea “produced generally balanced and positive outcomes,” reiterated that “China’s door to opening up will only open wider,” and welcomed the accompanying U.S. business delegation, which included Musk, Cook and Huang.
Trump’s tone was notably warm. He called Xi “a great leader” of “a great country,” described their relationship as “the longest and greatest” of any two presidents, and invited Xi and Peng Liyuan to a state visit in Washington in September. The two leaders also agreed to support each other in hosting the G20 (in Miami) and APEC (in Guangzhou) later this year.