‘Never mess it up’: What Xi and Trump said on day one of Beijing talks
Key takeaways
- Xi and Trump agree to frame their relationship as ‘constructive, strategic and stable’ on the first day of talks in Beijing.
- “We must make it work and never mess it up,” he said.
- Here’s a look at what each president have said about five key issues so far:
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Xi and Trump agree to frame their relationship as ‘constructive, strategic and stable’ on the first day of talks in Beijing.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump shake hands at a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China [Evan Vucci/Reuters]By Federica Marsi and Sarah Shamim Published On 14 May 202614 May 2026One day into US President Donald Trump’s visit to China for trade talks, both he and Chinese President Xi Jinping have exchanged toasts at a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and hailed their relationship as the world’s most “consequential”.
On Thursday, following a visit to the Temple of Heaven, a 600-year-old landmark in the Chinese capital, Xi spoke of a “shared US-China future”, while also warning that failure to handle this bond would create a “very dangerous situation”.