White House Fact Sheet Omits Taiwan Despite Dominating Trump-Xi Talks

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White House on Sunday released a fact sheet on US President Donald Trump’s visit to China, outlining agreements on trade, investment and the Iran crisis but making no mention of Taiwan despite the issue dominating discussions during Trump’s meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to the fact sheet, the two countries agreed to establish new “US-China Board of Trade” and “US-China Board of Investment” mechanisms to manage bilateral economic and investment issues. The document stated that Trump and Xi agreed that Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon”, called for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and agreed that “no country or organisation can be allowed to charge tolls”. The White House also said Trump would host Xi in Washington later this year and that both countries would support each other as hosts of the G20 and APEC summits.

Trade, rare earths and Boeing deals highlighted

The fact sheet said China would address US concerns over shortages of rare earth minerals and critical materials, including yttrium, scandium, neodymium and indium. It also announced that China had approved an initial purchase of 200 Boeing aircraft for Chinese airlines, describing it as the first major commitment for American-made Boeing planes since 2017. Additionally, China committed to buying at least $17 billion worth of US agricultural products annually in 2026, 2027 and 2028, besides earlier soybean commitments made in 2025. The White House further stated that China restored market access for over 400 US beef facilities and resumed poultry imports from US states cleared of bird flu restrictions.

Taiwan omitted despite dominating talks

While the fact sheet stressed “strategic stability” and economic cooperation, it did not refer to Taiwan, even though the self-governed island reportedly emerged as one of the central issues during Trump’s Beijing visit. Xi warned Trump during talks that mishandling Taiwan could push the US and China towards conflict. Trump, however, avoided publicly discussing Taiwan while in Beijing. After leaving China, Trump acknowledged that he and Xi “talked a lot about Taiwan” and suggested he was reconsidering a previously approved US arms package for Taipei following Xi’s objections. Trump also described the potential multibillion-dollar weapons sale to Taiwan as a “negotiating chip” in media interviews after the summit, raising concerns in Taiwan.

‘Strategic stability’ framework

The White House fact sheet said both sides agreed to build a “constructive relationship of strategic stability” based on “fairness and reciprocity”. Chinese officials described the framework as a new model for managing ties between the world’s two largest economies over the next three years, focusing on cooperation while managing differences. The visit also featured extensive discussions on the Iran conflict and global energy security. Trump claimed Xi agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and that Iran should not possess nuclear weapons, although Chinese officials have publicly maintained that all parties’ concerns should be considered in resolving the crisis.

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