WASHINGTON, September 26 — Xi Jinping concluded a state visit to the United States on Friday that produced few announced achievements, according to CBS News reporting, closing with a brief afternoon tour of the National Archives. Xi, his wife, President Trump and his wife were shown the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution by National Archivist Bradford Wilson. Journalists were positioned too far away to hear the leaders’ conversation.
Asked about his meeting with Xi, Trump said “everything” was accomplished, without elaborating.
Tea at the White House
During a White House tea, Xi, speaking through a translator, thanked the Trumps and said everything on the visit was “done to the highest order of perfection” with “thought in every little detail.” He said he and Trump “are like two people who are charting the course for the great ship of China-U.S. relations” and were adding “new substance” to the strategic relationship.
Xi said the two leaders would likely meet again later in 2026 at the APEC China summit in Shenzhen and then at the G20 summit of leaders in the U.S., which is expected to take place at one of Trump’s properties in Miami. Xi also welcomed Trump for a state visit to Beijing in May.
Trump said he and Xi would be “speaking a lot,” adding: “I think our farmers are going to be very happy. A lot of very positive things happened. But America is very happy about this visit and I’m sure China is very happy also.
Great things for both countries. And it’s been just very, very productive.”
Little new on AI
At the conclusion of Xi’s visit, CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer whether the leaders achieved anything new on artificial intelligence. “I wouldn’t say anything new,” Greer said.
He described the established AI dialogue with the Chinese as comparable to “the red phone between the Kremlin and the White House during the Cold War,” calling it at minimum an opportunity for the sides to share risks or other things if they feel the need, and said “the most important thing is having a channel.” Greer said there would be “another meeting on AI in the next month or so,” although the agenda has not yet been set.
Taiwan and Iran
Trump declined to answer shouted questions from reporters about Taiwan during Xi’s visit, but U.S. ambassador to China David Perdue insisted there is “no change” in U.S. policy toward Taiwan. “There’s no change, no change in the Taiwan policy here,” Perdue told CNBC Friday. “He’s fully committed to the One China policy.
We’re committed to the Taiwan Relations Act, the three communiques, and the six assurances. Nothing has changed there.
Of course, China has tried to coerce change in that regard. We’re not changing the language. We’re not changing our position there.” The television pool reporter in the room asked Trump if he had asked China to stop sharing intelligence with Iran, but he ignored the question.
Perdue told Fox News on Friday that Trump told Xi it is “unacceptable” for China to be helping Iran in any way with the war. Perdue acknowledged that China has been involved in some assistance that went to Iran directly or indirectly, and said China has expressed a commitment to not help Iran.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese entities provided satellite images of a base in Jordan to Iran ahead of deadly Iranian strikes that killed three U.S. soldiers and wounded others. “This has been a continual conversation over some period of time,” Perdue told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer. “President Xi responded as you might expect.
They talked about the U.S. interests. President Trump did a great job making sure that China knows that this is unacceptable. We’ve seen some movement over the last month as well, but this isn’t the first time President Trump has brought it up with President Xi.” Asked whether that means China would stop assisting Iran, Perdue said the U.S. has seen “movement” in that direction.
“That’s what the commitment is,” Perdue responded. “They assured us yesterday they are not doing that.
We know that in the past that there was some intel and some potential parts that went to either directly or indirectly. But President Trump again made it very clear, this is unacceptable to us, to have any interaction with Iran with regards to the support of this war.” For all the noise, the salient point is that the visit’s concrete deliverables remain thin.
What to watch next is the AI meeting Greer says is coming within the month or so, and whether the promised follow-up summits in Shenzhen, Miami and Beijing actually materialise.
