Kashmir Impulse Desk

Beijing, May 15 

US President Donald Trump left Beijing on Friday after a three-day visit during which he held extensive talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on issues including the Iran conflict, trade and bilateral ties.

Before Trump’s departure, the two leaders held a private meeting at Zhongnanhai, the heavily guarded leadership compound in Beijing.

Despite the engagement, differences appeared to persist on the issue of Taiwan.

During talks on Thursday, Xi warned that mishandling the Taiwan issue could trigger “clashes and even conflicts” between China and the United States, according to Chinese state media.

A White House readout said Trump invited Xi and his wife to visit the White House on Sept. 24.

The two leaders also agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to ensure the free flow of global energy supplies.

At the farewell meeting on Friday, Xi described Trump’s visit as “historic” and said both sides had established a “new vision” for building a constructive relationship based on “strategic stability”.

“We had reached important common understandings on maintaining stable economic and trade ties, expanding practical cooperation in various fields, and properly addressing each other’s concerns,” Xi said.

He said China and the United States had also agreed to strengthen communication and coordination on international and regional issues.

According to the Chinese side, Xi said the visit would help enhance mutual understanding, deepen trust and improve the well-being of people in both countries.

Trump is learnt to have told Xi that he was willing to maintain “sincere and in-depth communication” with the Chinese leader and expressed appreciation for the invitation to visit Zhongnanhai.

The visit was the first by a US president to China in nine years. Trump was also the last sitting US president to visit China, during his 2017 trip.