At the Trump-Xi summit, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US and China extended their trade truce, due to expire in November, by two months. Tariffs and other disputes remain unresolved; Xi urged Washington to handle Taiwan with “prudence”.
Xinhua reported Xi also hoped the US would oppose Taiwan independence, a tougher formulation than Washington’s longstanding position that it does not “support” independence. The White House issued no immediate readout, and there was no sign the Trump administration planned to change its wording. Xi invoked the “Thucydides Trap”—the theory that competition between a rising and an established power tends toward war—but said the risk could be overcome and called for regular military dialogue and stronger crisis-prevention measures.
Bessent said Beijing was meeting its earlier requirement to buy 25 million tons of soybeans but lagging on a $17 billion pledge for other agricultural goods; US officials said rare-earth deliveries were also falling short. The new Jan. 10 deadline and multilateral summits in Shenzhen and Miami before year-end could offer further opportunities for a more permanent deal. Ceremonies also featured troops in wigs and tri-corner hats, and fighter jets and bombers overhead.
