Chinese President Xi Jinping ended his three-day state visit to the United States on the afternoon of Sept. 25, local time, and returned to Beijing. Huanqiu said the visit had concluded 'successfully.' The trip began with his arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on the 23rd, followed by a White House summit and state dinner on the 24th and a visit to the US National Archives on the 25th.

Seeing Xi off, Trump said the two countries had made 'tremendous progress' in their relationship. He said he would meet Xi again in China in November and in the United States in December. Xi referred to the APEC leaders' meeting in Shenzhen in mid-November and the G20 summit in Miami in mid-December, and renewed his invitation for Trump to visit China.

'Agreement reached' — details on Monday

Only half the economic picture has emerged. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said trade talks with China had progressed and the two sides had reached agreement, with specifics to be announced on Monday the 28th. Xi likewise said the two economic and trade teams had reached a 'new joint arrangement' after a fresh round of consultations, calling it good news for both countries and the global economy.

Before the summit, the two sides agreed to extend a tariff truce due to expire on Nov. 10 by two months, to Jan. 10 next year. Markets are watching which items the Monday announcement will cover, from the size of tariff adjustments to farm purchases and export controls. Some Korean media noted that the substance of the deal remains vague compared with the lavish rhetoric of cooperation.

US business also voiced hopes. According to Huanqiu, American business representatives who met the Chinese side during the visit pledged to be long-term partners in China's development, expecting the truce extension and a new deal to reduce supply-chain uncertainty.

State dinner and archives: two leaders invoke history

At the state dinner at the White House on the night of the 24th, both leaders spoke about history. According to United Daily News, Trump mentioned Sun Yat-sen in his toast, while Xi recalled how the two peoples fought side by side against Japanese militarist aggression more than 80 years ago. On the 25th, the two leaders and their wives toured the US National Archives in Washington, viewing records related to bilateral exchanges. Liberty Times reported that protesters and welcoming groups gathered separately outside and shouted at each other.

During the visit, Peng Liyuan toured the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington with Melania Trump. With a youth exchange plan to bring American young people to China also announced, people-to-people ties featured alongside economic and security issues.

Taiwan was also raised. Xi said he hoped the United States would adhere to a position of 'opposing Taiwan independence' and handle the Taiwan issue prudently. The US State Department reiterated after the talks that its Taiwan policy had not changed, while Taiwan's foreign ministry called Xi's remarks a 'distortion of the facts' and said only Taiwan's people can decide its future.

The Middle East was on the agenda too. According to Liberty Times, Trump said he had discussed the Iran war with Xi and that reopening the Strait of Hormuz would bring very good results. With talk of a possible US-Iran reconciliation, most European stock markets closed higher on the 25th.

A third perspective

Beijing framed the visit as a new starting point. A Global Times editorial said China and the US 'stand at a new historical starting point' by turning vision into action. A United Daily News editorial in Taiwan said the US-China summit has effectively become 'the new center of gravity of global power,' while reporting concern among Taiwanese scholars over the leaders' emphasis on their Second World War partnership. For South Korea, the question is how two more leader-level meetings this year will ripple through tariffs, semiconductors and the Korean Peninsula. Monday's trade announcement will be the first test.