1 / 8Relations between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have moved between cooperation and confrontation for nearly a decade. Their meetings often produced temporary agreements and strong public messaging, but tensions between the United States and China continued to grow over trade, technology, tariffs and global influence. As Trump and Xi hold fresh talks in Beijing, their first face-to-face meeting in more than six months, here is a look at the major Trump-Xi meetings and their outcomes: (Image: Reuters)
2 / 81. Palm Beach, United States — April 2017 | The first face-to-face meeting between Trump and Xi took place at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The summit drew global attention after Trump ordered missile strikes on Syria during Xi’s visit. Despite the tension surrounding the military action, both leaders described the meeting as a positive beginning for US-China ties. The talks focused on trade, North Korea and broader economic cooperation. (Image: Reuters)
3 / 82. Hamburg, Germany — July 2017 | Trump and Xi met again during the G20 summit in Hamburg. By this time, trade tensions between Washington and Beijing had started rising. The United States was preparing investigations into Chinese intellectual property practices, which later became the basis for tariffs on Chinese goods. The meeting showed that economic disagreements were beginning to dominate the relationship. (Image: Reuters)
4 / 83. Beijing, China — November 2017 | Trump visited China on a high-profile state visit filled with official ceremonies and business announcements. During the trip, Trump repeatedly praised Xi and highlighted commercial deals worth hundreds of billions of dollars. The visit appeared to signal warmer ties between the two countries. However, the goodwill did not last long. Within months, the US moved ahead with fresh tariffs on Chinese imports, pushing both countries closer to a trade war. (Image: Reuters)
5 / 84. Buenos Aires, Argentina — December 2018 | At the G20 summit in Argentina, Trump and Xi agreed to restart trade negotiations after months of escalating tariffs. The meeting briefly reduced tensions between the two countries and delayed further tariff increases. Still, major disagreements over technology, market access and intellectual property remained unresolved. (Image: Reuters)
6 / 85. Osaka, Japan — June 2019 | The two leaders met again during the G20 summit in Osaka. Both sides agreed to resume trade talks after another period of confrontation. The US delayed some tariff measures, while China promised larger purchases of American goods. The temporary truce later faced challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global trade and further damaged relations between Washington and Beijing. (Image: Reuters)
7 / 86. Busan, South Korea — October 2025 | Meeting during the APEC summit in Busan, Trump and Xi announced a one-year pause in their tariff battle. Washington eased some trade restrictions, while Beijing rolled back selected export controls. The agreement helped stabilise relations for the short term, but larger disputes between the two powers remained unresolved. (Image: Reuters)
8 / 87. Beijing, China — May 2026 | Trump is visiting China for talks focused on trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and the Middle East. The meeting comes as the one-year Busan tariff truce moves closer to its expiry later in 2026. Observers see the Beijing talks as an attempt by both countries to avoid another major escalation in tensions between the world’s two largest economies. (Image: Reuters)
