Center for Strategic and International Studies | William A. Reinsch
The recently concluded U.S.-China summit, despite President Trump's declaration of success, yielded unclear outcomes due to the absence of a joint statement and divergent comments. On trade, anticipated progress on the "three B’s" (beans, beef, and Boeing) remains unconfirmed; Trump cited significant agriculture purchases without details, China renewed lapsed U.S. beef export licenses, and a 200-plane Boeing deal is unconfirmed by Beijing and less than expected. Discussions on a Board of Trade, Board of Investment, and AI safety protocols began but produced no agreements. Notably, traditional U.S. complaints like overcapacity, subsidies, and intellectual property theft were not discussed, signaling a U.S. shift towards transactional goals and China's success in avoiding these issues. More significant discussions focused on Taiwan and Iran. On Taiwan, no immediate policy change occurred, but China pressed harder, warning of conflict, while Trump acknowledged discussing U.S. arms sales without a decision. Regarding Iran, Xi Jinping reiterated previous stances on nuclear weapons and the Strait of Hormuz, with China's willingness to act privately unclear. The summit's slogan, "constructive strategic stability," reflects both nations' need to buy time amid challenges, with China viewing its rise as inexorable and the U.S. implicitly acknowledging limited leverage.
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