Trump China visit live: Rubio hoping for ‘positive response’ to appeal for release of Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai

<p>Secretary of state says US made clear America’s position on Taiwan, as Trump-Xi talks continue for second day</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/14/trump-xi-jinping-meet-beijing-ahead-of-summit-trade-iran-war-ai-talks">Xi warns Trump of ‘clashes and even conflicts’ with US over Taiwan</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/14/taiwan-trump-silence-xi-meeting-best-outcome">Analysis: For anxious Taiwan, Trump’s silence after Xi talks is best possible outcome</a></p></li></ul><p></p><p><strong>Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are set to meet on Friday to wrap up a high-stakes two-day state visit </strong>that has featured pomp and business deals but also a stark warning from Xi that mishandling the Taiwan issue could push US-China relations to “a very dangerous place”.</p><p>Trump is on the first visit by a US president to China since 2017 and has been hoping for tangible results that might improve his sagging approval ratings ahead of the crucial midterm elections.</p><p><strong>Trump told Fox News that China had agreed to order 200 Boeing jets</strong> – its first purchase of US-made commercial jets in nearly a decade. But markets were expecting a much higher number, with earlier news reports suggesting 500 or more could be involved, and Boeing shares fell more than 4% after the comments.</p><p><strong>Xi’s remarks on Taiwan, the democratically governed island Beijing claims, represented a sharp warning during a pomp-filled summit</strong> that otherwise appeared friendly and relaxed. They came in a closed-door meeting that ran for more than two hours, Beijing said.</p><p><strong>US secretary of state Marco Rubio told NBC News that Taiwan was discussed</strong>, saying the Chinese “always raise it ... we always make clear our position and we move on to the other topics”. Rubio is among a large contingent of US officials and business leaders who travelled with Trump to China.</p><p><strong>At a lavish state banquet on Wednesday, Xi called the China-US relationship the most important in the world</strong> and added: “We must make it work and never mess it up.” Trump earlier told Xi their two countries were “going to have a fantastic future together”.</p><p><strong>The summit has been aimed at maintaining a fragile trade truce</strong> struck when the leaders last met in October and Trump suspended triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods and Xi backed away from choking global supplies of vital rare earths.<br><em>With news agencies</em></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/may/15/trump-china-visit-live-updates-xi-jinping-talks-meeting-summit-latest-news">Continue reading...</a>