President Donald Trump wrapped a three-day summit in Beijing on Friday by telling reporters he has not yet decided whether to authorize a major arms package for Taiwan, after Chinese President Xi Jinping pressed him on the issue during their private talks. The declaration came as both leaders sought to frame the summit as a breakthrough in U.S.-China relations even while the two superpowers remain far apart on some of their most sensitive disputes.
“I’ll make decisions,” Trump said. “But, you know, the last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away.”
Trump’s remarks, delivered on his return flight to Washington, followed what Xi described as a “milestone” visit. Trump and Xi met for nearly three hours on Friday at Zhongnanhai, the Chinese president’s official residence in Beijing, for the final engagement of the summit. Xi received Trump with a tour of the grounds’ manicured gardens, then hosted tea and lunch with senior advisors and translators.
“We have established a new bilateral relationship — a constructive, strategic, and stable relationship — that is a milestone,” Xi said, according to Chinese officials.
Trump appeared taken with the setting, calling Xi’s roses the most beautiful he had seen. Xi, in turn, promised to send him rose seeds.
Taiwan arms decision unsettles lawmakers
The Taiwan arms package, authorized by the Trump administration at a record $11 billion in December 2025, has not yet been finalized. In January, Congress separately approved a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan, but the transaction requires Trump to formally submit it to Capitol Hill before it can proceed. China, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province, has long opposed such sales.
Trump said Xi “reiterated China’s firm opposition to Taiwan’s independence” during their talks.
“I heard him,” Trump said. “I didn’t make any comment.”
Analysts noted that consulting Beijing on arms sales to Taiwan could conflict with the Six Assurances, a non-binding U.S. policy framework dating to 1982 under President Ronald Reagan. The second of the six principles states that the United States “does not agree to consult with the People’s Republic of China on arms sales to Taiwan.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back on the suggestion that U.S. policy had shifted, telling NBC News that Washington’s stance toward Taipei “has not changed” and cautioning that any attempt by China to take the island by force would be “a terrible mistake.” He characterized Xi’s remarks as routine. “They always bring it up. We always make our position clear, and we move on.”
Trump told reporters he was not concerned about troubles in the U.S.-China relationship. “I think we’ll be fine,” he said.
Republican lawmakers were less sanguine. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., said the United States should “support Taiwan the same way we support Ukraine,” while Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said Xi’s hard line was unsurprising and that “we have to arm Taiwan so they can defend themselves as a deterrent.”
Nuclear pact and Iran dominate talks
Trump said he raised the prospect of a trilateral nuclear arms control agreement among the United States, Russia, and China, and that Xi responded with interest. The Pentagon estimates China’s operational nuclear arsenal exceeds 600 warheads and projects it will surpass 1,000 by 2030. The United States and Russia each hold more than 5,000. The last major arms-control treaty, New START between Washington and Moscow, expired in February without renewal after Trump declined a Russian offer to extend it for one year, calling instead for a new pact that included China.
“I got a very positive response on that,” Trump said of Xi’s reception. “This is the beginning.”
The two leaders also discussed the ongoing war in Iran at length, agreeing that the Strait of Hormuz must reopen to meet global energy demand. Some 20% of the world’s traded oil passed through the waterway before the conflict erupted on February 28. Eleven weeks of fighting have sent energy prices soaring and raised fears of a global recession.
“We have a very similar view on how we want this to end — and we don’t want them having a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
White House officials said Xi opposed any toll on vessels transiting the strait and expressed interest in China purchasing more American oil to reduce dependence on Persian Gulf crude. But Beijing has shown little public appetite for deeper involvement in the Iran crisis, even as the U.S. State Department has accused Chinese firms of providing satellite imagery to Tehran and the Treasury Department has targeted Chinese refineries for buying Iranian crude. Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity that Xi had “offered to help” in their discussions.
China raised its own concerns about Taiwan’s trajectory, with Xi warning Thursday that mishandled differences on the island could put the superpowers “on a path toward clashes and even conflict,” per Chinese government officials.
Despite the divergent interests, Trump struck an optimistic tone as he departed. “These have been really great days,” he said.