The national flags of the United States and China hang in front of the portrait of late communist leader Mao Zedong at Tiananmen Gate in Beijing on May 15, 2026. Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty ImagesBEIJING — U.S. President Donald Trump’s closely watched visit to China this week has gone a long way toward strengthening a fragile trade truce with Beijing and stabilizing the bilateral relationship.While the visit was delayed by more than a month due to the Iran war, Trump’s two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up Friday with plans for another meeting this fall. Here’s what’s changed since the leaders met:U.S.-China geopolitical alignmentXi’s warning to Trump that mishandling Taiwan would put the U.S.-China relationship into “great jeopardy,” according to official English-language state media, dominated headlines at the start of talks. Oil prices also rose after Trump told Fox News in a pre-recorded interview that China has agreed to buy U.S. oil and would help with Iran negotiations. He did not reveal when purchases would begin or at what volume.China has yet to confirm plans to buy U.S. oil, while Washington has yet to say anything on Taiwan.”I do think each side has delivered. There was no substantive discussion on Taiwan, though, which is not surprising,” said Yue Su, principal economist, China, at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “More discussion on Iran highlighted that they do have common ground. The fact that both sides want to describe the meeting as a win shows goodwill, at least.”“There are limits to what China can realistically do, as the Iranian regime is operating in survival mode and will prioritize its own interests and agenda above all else,” she said.Trade truce holdsThe U.S. and Chinese sides have not yet released details on specific agreements. But Trump’s invitation to Xi to visit the U.S. on …
