US President Donald Trump left Beijing after a two-day summit saying he had struck “fantastic trade deals, great for both countries”, but few details have emerged on what the two superpowers agreed.
Trump arrived for a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday, accompanied by several CEOs: a high-profile business delegation spanning agriculture, aviation, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence (AI) chips.
Trade was near the top of the agenda despite recent tensions over the Iran war, and businesses hoped for key deals as well as an extension of the tariff truce that is due to expire in November.
The visit was defined by warm rhetoric and symbolism. Trump was wooed with a packed itinerary that included an honour guard, a state banquet, and an invitation to the exclusive compound where China’s Communist Party leaders live and work.
The US president seemed impressed and invited Xi to the White House in September. He said talks had been “very successful”, while Xi called it a “historic and landmark” visit.
But neither side has announced trade breakthroughs or significant business deals.
President Trump, however, spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One and said China has agreed to buy 200 Boeing jets, with a potential commitment to buy an additional 750 planes. The BBC has contacted Boeing for comment.
Trump also said American farmers will be happy with his trade deals because China would be buying “billions of dollars” of soybeans.
There has been no confirmation of any deals or purchases from the Chinese.
If the Boeing orders are finalised, this would be the plane-maker’s first major Chinese deal in nearly a decade. It was largely shut out of the world’s second-largest aviation market because of trade tensions between Beijing and Washington.
Asked about Trump’s earlier comments to Fox News in which he said deals had been made, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun only said that the “essence of China-US economic and trade relations is mutual benefit and win-win co-operation”.
He added that both sides should work to implement the “important consensus” reached by the two leaders and bring greater stability to bilateral trade ties and the global economy.
There are still questions over the trade truce agreed in October, when Washington suspended steep tariff increases on Chinese goods while Beijing eased back from restricting rare earth exports critical for manufacturing.
Suprisingly Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he and Xi did not discuss tariffs at all.
The White House however said both leaders agreed to establish a “Board of Trade” to manage the relationship without having to reopen tariff negotiations.–BBC
