China-US talks yield substantial outcomes

Editor's note: Xue Tianhang is an associate researcher at the Institute for National Strategy and Regional Development, Zhejiang University. This article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.  

US President Donald Trump was in China for a state visit from May 13 to 15. The trip marked the second in-person meeting between the Chinese and US heads of state after the gathering in Busan in October 2025, and also the first visit to China by a sitting US president in nine years.

The latest talks between the two presidents drew global attention amid an increasingly turbulent international landscape, with conflicts and hostilities continuing in some regions. At this critical point, talks between China and the US, the world's two largest economies, will not only help strengthen coordination and cooperation between the two countries, but also inject much-needed stability and certainty into the world.

According to official readouts, the two heads of state engaged in in-depth exchanges and reached a series of substantive outcomes. They agreed to position the bilateral relationship as a "constructive relationship of strategic stability". This formulation provides strategic guidance for China-US relations over the next three years and beyond, and signals both sides' willingness to further enhance cooperation while managing differences. From a deeper perspective, "strategic stability" refers to positive stability with cooperation as the mainstay, sound stability with competition kept within boundaries, constant stability with manageable differences, and sustainable stability with the promise of peace. It is expected that under this new positioning, China and the US will further strengthen dialogue and communication, and promote the stable, sound and sustainable development of bilateral ties.

The two sides also held extensive consultations on economic and trade issues. From the list of business leaders accompanying Trump, more than a dozen leading figures from the US business community attended related events during the visit, including tech CEOs Elon Musk, Tim Cook and Jensen Huang, as well as representatives from major financial institutions including Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and BlackRock. During the talks, Trump said, "the world's top companies all said they wanted to come. But I don't want the second- or third-ranking executives — I only want the top bosses to join the visit." His remarks reflected the high level of attention and expectation from the US business community. According to official information released after the talks, the two countries' economic and trade teams achieved broadly balanced and positive outcomes. These include continuing to implement all consensus previously reached through earlier consultations, agreeing to establish a trade council and an investment council, addressing each other's concerns regarding agricultural market access, and promoting expanded two-way trade under a framework of reciprocal tariff reductions. These outcomes have clarified the direction for the next stage of China-US economic and trade cooperation and provided institutional support for its advancement.

China-US relations concern the well-being of both the two countries and the world at large. China and the US stand to benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation. The two countries should be partners rather than rivals. Looking ahead, it is hoped that both sides will translate the outcomes of the meeting into concrete actions, move toward each other, and deepen cooperation in areas including trade, public health, agriculture, tourism, people-to-people exchanges and law enforcement. By achieving mutual success and shared prosperity, China and the US can forge a proper path for major-country relations in the new era.