Trump Says Xi Opposes Taiwan Independence, Hails ‘Very Good Understanding’ with China

Washington, May 2026 : US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping strongly opposes any move toward Taiwan’s independence, while also claiming that the two leaders achieved a “very good understanding” on key global issues including Iran, trade and artificial intelligence during their recent talks in China.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while travelling to Alaska, Trump described his meetings with Xi as highly productive and praised the Chinese leader in glowing terms.

“We had a great stay. It was an amazing period of time,” Trump said. “President Xi is an incredible guy.”

Trump stated that the visit resulted in several important economic understandings and major commercial agreements between the two countries. Among them, he highlighted what he described as a potentially record-breaking aviation deal involving Boeing and General Electric.

According to Trump, China agreed to purchase more than 200 Boeing aircraft immediately, with the possibility of the total order eventually expanding to 750 planes.

“Got along, made a lot of great trade deals, including over 200 planes from Boeing, with a promise of 750 planes,” Trump said.

The US President noted that Taiwan emerged as one of the most sensitive and extensively discussed topics during his conversations with Xi. Trump said the Chinese President firmly opposed any attempt to push Taiwan toward formal independence, warning that such a move could trigger a serious confrontation.

“He does not want to see a fight for independence because that would be a very strong confrontation,” Trump said while referring to Xi’s remarks on Taiwan. “I heard him out.”

When questioned about whether the United States would militarily defend Taiwan in the event of a conflict with China, Trump declined to provide a direct answer.

“I don’t want to say that,” Trump told reporters. “There’s only one person who knows that. You know who it is, me.”

Trump also indicated that his administration was reviewing future US arms sales to Taiwan and suggested that a decision on the matter could come soon.

“I’ll make a determination over the next fairly short period of time,” he added.

Apart from Taiwan, Trump said the discussions also covered tensions in West Asia, especially Iran’s nuclear programme and the security situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial maritime route for global oil shipments.

According to Trump, Xi agreed that Iran should not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons and supported efforts to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open for international shipping.

“He feels strongly they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “He wants them to open up the strait.”

Trump also defended recent US military operations involving Iran and claimed that American forces had significantly weakened Tehran’s military infrastructure.

“We had a total military victory,” Trump asserted. “We knocked out their entire Navy. We knocked out their entire Air Force.”

In another notable remark, Trump said that a ceasefire arrangement linked to regional tensions had partly been agreed to “as a favor to Pakistan.”

“We did it as a favor to Pakistan, who are terrific people, the field marshal and the prime minister,” Trump stated.

The two leaders also reportedly discussed emerging technologies and artificial intelligence. Trump said Washington and Beijing explored the possibility of jointly establishing safeguards or “guardrails” for advanced AI systems to address potential risks.

“AI is fantastic,” Trump said. “But it’s also got some drawbacks.”

He suggested that both countries recognised the transformative impact of artificial intelligence across sectors such as defence, medicine and technology, while also acknowledging the dangers associated with uncontrolled development.

Trump further claimed that Xi praised his handling of the US economy and criticised the performance of former President Joe Biden.

“He said the U.S. was declining for the last four years,” Trump said while describing Xi’s comments. “What President Trump has done in the last 15, 16 months has been virtually a miracle.”

The remarks indicate continuing high-level engagement between Washington and Beijing despite ongoing strategic rivalry over trade, technology, Taiwan and military influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)