US President Donald Trump said his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping had produced major progress on energy trade and global supply security, although Beijing stopped short of formally confirming several of the claims made by Washington.
The two leaders met in Beijing this week against the backdrop of continued volatility in global energy markets, supply chain disruptions and concerns over oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy trade routes.
Speaking after the talks on Friday, Trump said the summit had resulted in “fantastic trade deals” that would benefit both countries. He added that the discussions had helped resolve “a lot of different problems”, including issues linked to energy supply and strategic trade flows.
A key focus of the meetings was energy cooperation. Trump said China had agreed to increase purchases of American oil as part of broader trade understandings reached during the visit. He also claimed Xi had expressed support for reopening and stabilising the Strait of Hormuz, which has faced mounting pressure amid tensions involving Iran.
“He’d like to see the Hormuz Strait open, and said ‘if I can be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help’,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News.
Any disruption in the Strait of Hormuz carries significant implications for global oil and LNG markets, as roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the narrow shipping corridor linking Gulf producers with Asian markets.
China’s foreign ministry later said only that “shipping lanes should be reopened as soon as possible”, declining to directly confirm Trump’s account of the discussions.
The summit also highlighted the growing strategic importance of energy trade between the world’s two largest economies. Trump said Beijing had “agreed it wanted to buy” US oil, alongside billions of dollars’ worth of American soybeans. However, Chinese officials did not formally verify the details.
Energy analysts said any increase in Chinese imports of US crude could provide support for American exporters while helping Beijing diversify supply sources amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East and fluctuating global crude prices.
The talks also touched on broader industrial and technology cooperation linked to the energy transition. Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang joined Trump’s business delegation in Beijing as discussions continued over artificial intelligence, advanced semiconductor exports and future industrial competitiveness.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the two countries had discussed establishing “guardrails” around artificial intelligence development, describing the United States and China as the world’s “two AI superpowers”.
No formal announcements were made regarding tariffs or restrictions on advanced AI chips, which remain central to Washington’s national security policy and China’s technology ambitions.
Xi described Trump’s visit as a “milestone” in bilateral relations and said both sides had established “a new bilateral relationship” based on “constructive strategic stability”.
However, underlying geopolitical tensions remained visible throughout the summit. Chinese state media reported that Xi warned the US against actions over Taiwan that could push the two countries into “conflict”.
Trump later said the leaders had “talked a lot about Taiwan”, but added that he had simply listened to Xi’s concerns.
Analysts said the summit signalled cautious efforts to stabilise ties between the two powers at a time when energy security, shipping stability and industrial supply chains have become increasingly intertwined with global geopolitics and economic policy.
