presidential helicopter, and gifting him a bald eagle statue. Trump hailed their "great friendship," but the spectacle masked a lack of diplomatic breakthroughs. Analysts noted that once ceremonies were excluded, the leaders spent under two hours in direct talks. The only concrete outcomes were a promise to invite 100,000 young Americans to China for exchanges and the loan of two pandas to an Atlanta zoo. Xi urged both sides to avoid the "Thucydides Trap," yet thorny issues like Taiwan and artificial intelligence saw little progress. On AI, the two leaders hinted at deep divisions. Trump has dismissed calls for regulation, while Xi insisted AI should "always be under human control." Analysts say broad agreement on AI risks exists, but approaches to managing it diverge sharply, making governance breakthroughs unlikely amid "deep suspicions and intensifying competition." The most significant deal was a two-month extension of the fragile trade truce, which had paused last year's trade war by reducing US tariffs and removing Beijing's rare earth export controls. Analysts suggest China hoped for a longer extension but remains realistic, viewing the truce as offering "some calm on the trade front." Trump, styling himself a deal maker, wants China to buy more US goods, but Xi's visit produced no commitments on Boeing planes or American farm produce.

On Iran, Trump has repeatedly asked China to help end the US conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, requests Beijing has rebuffed. Xi told Trump to end the war and negotiate with Tehran. Experts doubt China will act as a "big power broker" or be "the magic card" resolving US troubles.

Regarding Taiwan, Xi repeated his call for "prudence" and went further by urging the US to explicitly oppose Taiwan independence. A $14 billion US arms package for Taiwan is under review. Trump has discussed arms sales as a bargaining chip, raising fears Taiwan's security could be traded away—though analysts see no sign of a fundamental change in US assurances. (Bssnews)