China will switch to American oil? What did Trump and Xi talk about?

The first round of talks between Trump and Xi ended today at noon, and now further discussions are expected on trade, Taiwan, Iran, artificial intelligence and economic cooperation, alongside meetings with senior officials of American companies who joined the delegation.

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The meetings between Trump and Xi take place in Beijing, mainly in the Great Hall of the People, the official building where China hosts foreign leaders. In addition to the official talks between the two, Trump’s visit, which will be held until Friday, May 15, includes a visit to the Temple of Heaven and a state dinner hosted by Xi.

According to the estimates in the international media, the two sides do not expect a dramatic breakthrough or a historic agreement during the review, but mainly for the stabilization of relations, the reduction of tensions and the construction of a framework for further talks and meetings in the future.

After the first round of talks between the leaders of the powers, the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the White House released official announcements regarding the topics of the conversation.

China’s announcement states that on the issue of trade, the economic and trade teams of the United States and China “reached a balanced and positive overall result.” Xi said that Beijing’s door “to the outside world will only open further … and American companies will enjoy even better opportunities in China.” And that Trump told Xi that he is “a great leader and that China is a great country, and that he has deep respect for President Xi and the Chinese people.”

It was also reported that during the talks, Trump “introduced to Xi Jinping one by one the business leaders who accompanied him.”

In the White House announcement regarding the talks, it is stated that “the two sides discussed ways to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries, including expanding the access of American businesses to the Chinese market and increasing Chinese investments in American industries. Leaders from some of the largest companies in the United States participated in part of the meeting.”

The message continues: “Both sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy. President Xi also clarified China’s opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any attempt to charge a toll for its use, and he expressed interest in purchasing larger quantities of American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future. The two countries agreed that Iran will never have nuclear weapons.”

The White House also said that Trump and Xi “emphasized the need to continue progress in stopping the flow of materials used to manufacture fentanyl to the United States, as well as increasing Chinese purchases of American agricultural products.”

Did they talk about Taiwan?

But it seems that on the subject of Taiwan, the two countries do not see eye to eye.

According to the announcement of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Xi emphasized in the talks that Taiwan is “the most important issue in China-US relations”, and added that if the issue is managed in a failed manner, “the two countries will collide and may even come into conflict, which will push the whole of China-US relations to a very dangerous place”. The Chinese president wondered whether the countries are capable of creating a new model of relations, according to the announcement.

The White House announcement, however, did not mention Taiwan.