Trump’s ‘historic’ visit to China yields some economic, less geopolitical fruits

By Morgan Sweeney
The Center Square

President Donald Trump returned Friday from his first diplomatic visit to China since 2017, heralding the ‘historic’ nature of the trip.

Former President Joe Biden did not visit China while in office, so it was also the first time a U.S. president has visited the country in nearly 10 years.

“We had an amazing time. Very historic… it was a pretty historic couple of days,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Despite lawmakers and the president often talking about the need for America to outperform the communist country economically and technologically, Trump often touts his “good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the leaders met multiple times over the course of Trump’s stay.

They discussed multiple economic and geopolitical topics, reportedly making some deals but leaving some of the more controversial issues unresolved.

Trump has said that China agreed to an agricultural deal that will help support American farmers, particularly soybean growers, and a deal to purchase hundreds of Boeing planes and GE jet engines. But they did not discuss export controls on Nvidia AI chips or changes to their temporary agreement on rare earths.

They did discuss Iran and the Strait of Hormuz and Taiwan, but it doesn’t appear that any real headway was made on either topic.

China buys about one-fifth of its crude oil from Iran and transports more oil through the strait. China also has a friendlier relationship with Iran than the U.S. and could potentially pressure the country to free up the strait.

“I didn’t ask him to put pressure, because I don’t need favors,” Trump told reporters. “I think he will, I think, automatically – he’d like to see it opened up.”

Likewise, Trump said he didn’t make a “commitment either way” on Taiwan. Taiwan has been operating as its own country for decades, but China wants to reunify with what it considers a breakaway province and function as one country again. But Trump said he didn’t think China would use force to subjugate Taiwan at this time, despite Chinese military exercises around the island.

“I don’t think so. He doesn’t want to see a war,” Trump said.

The U.S. sold over $11 billion of arms to Taiwan in December and Congress has approved another similar package that Trump will have to approve.

Trump anticipates several more in-person meetings with Xi this year.