President Donald Trump and members of his administration have shared several positive updates so far during his high-profile visit to China.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the Iran conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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Rubio added that the United States was not seeking Beijing’s help with Iran.
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“The Chinese side said they are not in favor of militarizing the Straits of Hormuz, and they’re not in favor of a tolling system, and that’s our position,” Rubio said.
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Trump and Xi also talked about Beijing’s long-standing claim of “reunification” of Taiwan.
Rubio said they also spoke about the case of Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy publisher in the Chinese colony of Hong Kong who was sentenced to 20 years in prison this year after his conviction in a historic national security trial, Rubio said.
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Some believed that Trump would ask the Chinese leader for help in ending the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and settling the impasse over the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route whose effective closure by Iran has affected global energy supply.
“We are not immune to global oil prices at some point, because we do buy from the global market, but other countries around the world are paying a much higher price,” Rubio said, not referring to China specifically. “They’ve got to get involved in this as well.”
But Trump “didn’t ask him for anything,” Rubio said.
“We’re not asking for China’s help. We don’t need their help,” Rubio said.
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Rubio said Trump and Xi had found common ground on Iran, with China reiterating its opposition to Tehran developing nuclear weapons.
“What the president’s making clear is, if the Iranians think that they are going to use our domestic politics to pressure him into a bad deal, that’s not going to happen,” he said.
Breaking down the discussions on “Fox & Friends” Thursday morning, co-host Brian Kilmeade made several observations based on reporting on discussions between Trump and Xi, noting especially the implications for Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin.
“It looks like he’s [Trump] saying, ‘We’re the two leaders, let’s find a way to get along.’ You know who’s having a really bad day and week or two weeks? Vladimir Putin,” Kilmeade said.
“I mean, not only is he beginning to lose the war in Ukraine, he’s seeing that special relationship supposed to realign the world go up in flames,” he continued.
“Because at the very least, if we’re just to look at the words of the leaders, they’re looking to work together,” he added.
“Vladimir Putin’s hope was to get China on their side and work together as a junior partner and isolate us,” he continued. “And I think that President Xi is saying, ‘well, that’s not gonna happen.’”
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The two-day visit marks Trump’s first trip to China since 2017. The visit comes amid rising tensions over trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan, and the repercussions of the war with Iran.
While the White House is presenting the summit as a chance to create new economic agreements and “rebalance” the U.S.–China relationship, analysts believe that Beijing’s priorities are much broader and more focused on the long term.
“Trump arrives seeking headline deals and visible momentum ahead of the midterms,” wrote Zongyuan Zoe Liu, senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
“Xi is playing a longer game, focused on strategic patience rather than substantive compromise.”
Topics anticipated to be addressed during the summit include trade, aerospace, agricultural and energy agreements, as well as the establishment of a U.S.–China Board of Trade and a Board of Investment, according to the White House.
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