-U.S. President Donald Trump entered his final talks with Xi Jinping on Friday touting economic wins that gave markets little to cheer, while Beijing warned Washington about mishandling Taiwan and said its war with Iran should never have started.
Trump is making the first visit by a U.S. president to China, America’s main strategic and economic rival, since his last in 2017, and has been seeking tangible results to beef up his dented approval ratings ahead of crucial midterm elections.
“We’ve made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries,” Trump said, seated beside Xi in a decorative red armchair at the opulent Zhongnanhai complex, a former imperial garden that houses the offices of Chinese leaders.
Earlier, they had chatted and strolled outside, with Trump remarking about the beautiful roses and Xi promising to send him seeds for the flowers, before a lunch of lobster balls, Kung Pao scallops and shrimp dumplings.
But as Trump prepared for his final meeting, China’s foreign ministry issued a blunt statement outlining its frustration with the Iran war.
“This conflict, which should never have happened, has no reason to continue,” the ministry said, adding that China was supporting efforts to reach a peace deal in a war that had severely affected energy supplies and the global economy.
At Zhongnanhai, Trump said the leaders had discussed Iran and felt “very similar”, though Xi did not comment.
Trump had been expected to urge China to convince Iran to make a deal with Washington to end a war that has pushed up prices and made him politically vulnerable at home.
But analysts doubt Xi will be willing to push Tehran hard or end support for its military, given Iran’s value to Beijing as a strategic counterweight to the US.
A brief U.S. summary of Thursday’s talks highlighted what the White House called the leaders’ shared desire to reopen the Strait of Hormuz off Iran and Xi’s apparent interest in American oil purchases to pare China’s dependence on Middle East supply.
A fifth of global supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas travel through the Strait in normal times.
Credit: Yahoo News