China on Monday (September 28) released more information about the consensus reached during last week's talks between President Xi Jinping and Donald Trump (Donald Tump; Trump), bringing some concrete results to light.
But the two sides issued no joint statement and almost no major breakthroughs.
Instead, the two governments issued separate accounts of the meeting, perhaps a sign that Washington and Beijing remain wary of each other despite the White House tour and pledges to strengthen bilateral ties.
Here are four things we know and still don’t know about the talks.
New AI dialogue and communication channels
Beijing said it had agreed with Washington to launch a new artificial intelligence (AI) dialogue mechanism and arranged further talks at the end of November.
As the two countries race to develop advanced artificial intelligence, the move shows that both sides believe it is necessary to establish some kind of safeguards for a technology that is increasingly used in areas ranging from commerce to military planning.
The two sides also agreed to establish a communication channel to handle artificial intelligence incidents, aiming to prevent misunderstandings or unexpected developments from turning into wider confrontations.
The outside world has been paying close attention to whether there will be any progress or agreement on artificial intelligence-related issues in this meeting, especially after American companies such as Anthropic called for slowing down the pace of development, and after it was revealed that OpenAI had unauthorized access to government websites in countries such as Australia, and had "intervened" in the websites of multiple US government agencies.
Trade truce: What’s included, what’s left out
Chinese officials confirmed for the first time on Monday that the trade truce has been extended to January 10.
The short-term extension ensures that the two leaders will meet again later this year during major international conferences.
Trump will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Shenzhen in November, while Xi Jinping is scheduled to attend the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Miami in December.
It's unusual for the leaders of the world's two largest economies to meet so frequently.
But Beijing had hoped the truce would be extended for longer, so the two-month extension could only be considered a modest outcome rather than a major breakthrough.
China did secure lower tariffs on US$30 billion (201.3 billion yuan; NT$954.1 billion) worth of goods exported to the United States, and Beijing is expected to make corresponding tariff reductions.
Chinese goods shipped to U.S. stores, including toys, small home appliances and Christmas decorations, will benefit from lower tariffs.
The Trump administration has also stated that Beijing will purchase at least 10 million metric tons of coal per year in 2027 and 2028.
What’s striking is what’s not included.
The two sides did not mention increasing China’s exports of rare earth minerals to the United States, and there was no sign that restrictions on U.S. advanced semiconductors would be relaxed.
The United States did not mention Taiwan, but China did
The White House fact sheet did not mention Taiwan, but the issue is clearly a priority for Xi Jinping.
According to Beijing's account of the talks, Xi urged Trump to formally oppose Taiwan's independence and handle the issue carefully.
After the two sides last met in May, Trump revealed that Xi Jinping asked him directly whether the United States would defend Taiwan if China launched an attack.
"Only one person knows the answer, and that's me," he told reporters. He also questioned whether it was necessary for the U.S. military to "travel 9,500 miles (15,300 kilometers) to fight a war."
This time, Trump revealed much less.
"We haven't talked much about it," he told reporters over the weekend.
"Things are going great right now, everything is moving forward," Trump said. "He understands my thinking very well."
This silence may have important implications.
Trump has previously described a proposed $14 billion arms sales package to Taiwan as a "very good bargaining chip" when dealing with Beijing. The arms sales plan has been on hold for months.
Further adding to the confusion, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue told Fox News that Trump had offered to sell weapons to Xi Jinping during the summit.
The U.S. State Department later clarified that U.S. law prohibits the sale of weapons to China and currently has no such plans.
Beijing considers the self-governed island to be part of China. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognize Taiwan as an independent country, but Washington opposes any attempt to seize Taiwan by force and has pledged to provide weapons to Taiwan.
China may be opening its investment doors
China said it would allow more foreign financial companies, including banks, investment companies and insurance companies with U.S. background, to apply to operate business and set up offices in China. However, any approval must still comply with Chinese laws and regulations.
This last sentence is key. China is opening the door but still controlling who can get through.
Foreign financial firms have long complained that regulatory hurdles, licensing requirements and concerns about exit bans make it difficult for them to expand operations in China even if they are theoretically allowed to enter the market.
Beijing also said it was discussing ways to increase the number of flights between the two countries, but neither side said how that would be achieved.
In addition, although China has provided visa-free entry to visitors from more than 75 countries around the world, it has not extended this arrangement to Americans.
At the same time, the U.S. State Department still classifies travel to China as a Level 2 travel alert, urging travelers to "increase vigilance" due to the risks of arbitrary law enforcement, exit bans and detention.
So, what do we actually know?
