Trump tries to defy gravity with Beijing friendship summit

"Trump declared "we've made some fantastic trade deals" at Friday's closing meeting at Zhongnanhai, and told Fox News earlier that China had committed to buying 200 Boeing jets. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the U.S. expects China to commit to at least $10 billion in annual U.S. agricultural purchases over the next three years, on top of existing soybean commitments. The two sides are also negotiating a joint "Board of Trade" covering about $30 billion in non-sensitive goods."

"Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity that Xi pledged China would not supply Iran with military equipment. "But at the same time," Trump added, "they buy a lot of their oil there, and they'd like to keep doing that." At Zhongnanhai on Friday, Trump said he and Xi had discussed Iran. "We don't want them to have a nuclear weapon," he said. "We want the straits open.""

"China hawks in Trump's administration worked in the days and weeks leading up to the summit to undercut the case for rapprochement. The State Department sanctioned three Chinese firms for providing satellite imagery that helped Iran strike U.S. forces in the Middle East. The Treasury Department sanctioned multiple Chinese "teapot" refineries for buying billions of dollars of Iranian oil. Beijing responded by ordering companies not to comply with U.S. sanctions."

Trump pursued closer U.S.-China ties after a decade of decoupling. At a summit with Xi, the leaders produced modest deliverables building on a prior trade truce. Trump said the U.S. made “fantastic trade deals” and claimed China committed to buying 200 Boeing jets. The U.S. expected China to commit to at least $10 billion in annual U.S. agricultural purchases over the next three years, in addition to existing soybean commitments. The sides also negotiated a joint “Board of Trade” covering about $30 billion in non-sensitive goods. Trump’s public statements about China’s Iran posture left uncertainty, including claims about not supplying military equipment while continuing oil purchases. China hawks in the administration supported the pressure campaign through sanctions on Chinese firms tied to Iran-related activities and refineries handling Iranian oil.

Read at Axios