US President Donald Trump left Beijing on Friday after a private lunch with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the latter’s residence. No significant deal or announcement emerged from the talks.
Trump claimed, his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping was “very successful, world-renowned, and unforgettable”, while Xi called it a “historic and landmark” visit.
Trade, oil, Iran and Taiwan were among the topics that were discussed during two days of meetings.
In an interview to Fox News, Trump claimed China has promised to withhold supply of military equipment to Iran. He also claimed China wants the Strait of Hormuz to reopen.
Trump said, his patience is running out with Iran. He said, “there appears to be a lot of internal turmoil in Iran. The third tier that we’re dealing with now, I think they’re actually much more reasonable and in many ways smarter than the first tier and the second tier, who are no longer with us.”
He reiterated his calls for Iran to agree to a deal with the US.
“I’m not going to be much more patient,” he says. “They should make a deal. Any sane person would make a deal, but they might be crazy.”
Trump is worried as the standoff with Iran over Strait of Hormuz continues. He is trying to find an honourable way out. This was one of the reasons why he visited Beijing to ask China to persuade Iran to strike a deal.
On Taiwan issue, Xi Jinping gave a warning to the US. On Thursday, Xi said, “If it (Taiwan issue) is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was quick to respond. Rubio said, “US policy on the issue of Taiwan is unchanged as of today and as of the meeting that we had here today, it was raised. They always raise it on their side. We always make clear our position and we move on to the other topics.”
Trump had gone to China with a big delegation of top business leaders including Tesla owner Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, Micron Technologies CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser and others. No important business deals were announced during the visit.
Trump wants China to buy oil, gas, aircraft, soyabean from the US and open its sectors for American investment. He also wants China to ease restrictions on supply of rare earth elements to the US.
Trump was effusive in his praise for Xi Jinping by describing him as a great leader and a true friend. He took American business leaders with him to China because he wants more business for US companies from China.
On the contrary, had top Indian business leaders gone on foreign visits with our leader, a hue and cry is raised. Questions are thrown.
Trump is a transactional leader. For him, to engage in business talks abroad is nothing new. At the moment, his biggest challenge is to keep China away from supporting Iran.
The Chinese are known for their inscrutable habit. They never jump into the fray to solve other’s quarrels. They plan their moves with patience and precision. Trump will have to wait. Tehran is closely watching.
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