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Xi-Trump summit: all you need to know from the final day of the meeting in Beijing

We have put together stories from our coverage on the second day of Xi and Trump’s meeting in Beijing. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘We’ll be back’: the latest takeaways from the Xi-Trump talks Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump chat as they stroll through the grounds of Zhongnanhai, with Trump again dangling the idea of a “G2”. 2. Meet Zhou Qunfei: the woman seated between Cook and Musk at China state banquet Zhou...

May 15, 2026

Industry

The Xi-Trump summit is over. What comes next in the US-China rivalry?

The US president’s trip to Beijing has been hailed as ‘fantastic’ and ‘historic’ but there are still many known unknowns in ties In the past, the last day of state visits to China has typically featured a deal-signing ceremony presided over by leaders from both sides. During a photo call after the walk, Xi described Trump’s visit as “historical” and “a landmark”, adding that “important consensus was made on issues both sides are interested in”, according to the Chinese summary. Trump described his whirlwind state visit to Beijing as “fantastic” and once again praised Xi, calling him an old friend of over 11 years and highlighting how their personal connection had made it possible for them to resolve many thorny issues. “Both sides should work together to make thorough preparations, create a favourable atmosphere, and achieve more substantive outcomes for the interactions and exchanges between the two heads of state,” Wang said.

May 15, 2026

Industry

‘May do it. May not do it’: Trump keeps up suspense over arms to Taiwan, says no to war

Xi and he ‘talked a lot’ about Taiwan, US president says, will not be drawn on future of mega arms packages awaiting final approval However, Trump stopped short of approving arms sales to the island, leaving open the future of major arms packages. In an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier in Beijing, Trump said: “I’m not looking to have somebody go independent and we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles (about 15,300km) to fight a war. I’m not looking for that.” The remarks appeared aimed at Taiwan’s independence-leaning leader, William Lai Ching-te. In the interview, a clip from which aired on Friday morning Eastern time, Trump also reiterated that the US policy on Taiwan remained unchanged. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One after wrapping up his visit, Trump said he and Xi “talked a lot about Taiwan” during their formal and informal exchanges over Thursday and Friday.

May 15, 2026

Industry

Inside Zhongnanhai: Xi welcomes Trump into China’s hidden heart before bidding goodbye

Centuries-old trees and ‘most beautiful’ roses take centre stage as US leader taken on rare stroll around secluded, symbolic seat of power Zhongnanhai, once an imperial garden, now serves as Xi’s official residence and the headquarters of China’s top leadership, housing offices of the ruling Communist Party and the State Council, or China’s cabinet. Generations of senior party and state leaders have lived and worked within the compound since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949. For decades, the compound has been among China’s most secretive sites, occupying an almost mythic role in most public imagination of Chinese politics – hidden behind high walls and guarded gates. On Friday, however, Xi briefly opened part of that world to his American guests, receiving them in a more casual setting than the formal talks on Thursday.

May 15, 2026

Industry

Putin follows Trump to China, Xi hosts US president, Baidu earnings

Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China next week, days after US counterpart Donald Trump concluded a visit that was heavy on ceremony and light on substance. Putin’s one-day trip will take place on Wednesday, the South China Morning Post said, citing unidentified sources. It is unlikely there will be any elaborate parades or welcome ceremony for the routine visit, according to the report (see SCMP Plus Xi meeting tracker). This will be the first time that China has hosted Russian...

May 15, 2026

Industry

Xi-Trump summit: can ‘aspirational’ new vision for stability survive strategic rivalry?

True challenge will be finding ways to ‘cooperate constructively within an inherently competitive relationship’, Chinese analyst cautions President Xi Jinping’s new formula for China-US relations is “aspirational”, but the “real test” will be ensuring the two powers can work together despite their deepening rivalry, a leading Chinese political observer has cautioned. Building this stability was the overriding priority and their competition must remain controlled, Xi emphasised. Zhao Minghao, deputy director of the Centre for American Studies at Shanghai’s Fudan University, cautioned about the structural tensions still shaping the relationship beneath the surface. “This new concept is aspirational, but it is not where the relationship actually is right now,” Zhao said. “The real test is how the two powers find ways to cooperate constructively within an inherently competitive relationship.” “Major disagreements – such as US military deployment in the Asia-Pacific – will persist. But Beijing and Washington could pursue practical cooperation in areas like non-sensitive trade and AI safety,” he added.

May 15, 2026

Industry

Xi-Trump summit aside, 2 meetings in Asia matter for global trade

Most readers of foreign news pages this weekend will be assuming that US President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing has been dominating everyone’s attention. But across Asia, Trump, with his massive business entourage, was not the only act in town this week. At least two other major sets of meetings should not be overlooked. First, in New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was hosting foreign ministers from the 10 Brics economies and a growing community...

May 15, 2026

Industry

Top Singapore-based physicist relocates to China after superconductor breakthrough

Prominent young professor becomes doctoral supervisor at leading Chinese research university amid high-level recruitment drive Stephen Lin Er Chow, a physicist who designed a groundbreaking copper-free superconducting oxide capable of high-temperature superconductivity, has joined Zhejiang University from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Last year, at 27, Chow published the findings in the journal Nature, marking the first top-tier publication for the NUS lab since its establishment two decades ago. Confirming that he had joined Zhejiang University full-time, Chow said: “I really like Hangzhou’s living environment [and] the scenery around West Lake.” He also pointed to his connections to China, noting that his grandfather was of Chinese descent and his wife is Chinese. At NUS in 2022, Chow became the youngest recipient of the Best Graduate Researcher Award during his PhD studies. Immediately after graduation at 26 years old, he was offered a position at the university as a research fellow. He arrived in China through Zhejiang University’s “100 Young Professors” programme and is a principal investigator at the elite research university.

May 15, 2026

Industry

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker, May 2026

US President Donald Trump wrapped up his visit to China on Friday, the first by a US leader in nine years. The three-day trip, originally scheduled for March, had been postponed as due to the Iran war. Following Trump’s departure, Russian leader Vladimir Putin will pay a one-day visit on Wednesday, the South China Morning Post reported exclusively. His trip will mark the first time Beijing has hosted the leaders of the two powers in the same month. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will...

May 15, 2026

Industry

In 2021, China becomes the third country to safely land a rover on Mars – SCMP archive

On this day five years ago, China became the third country in the world to safely land a rover on Mars after months of space travel After seven months of space travel, three months in orbit and “nine minutes of ter­ror”, China has become the third coun­try in the world to safely land a rover on Mars. The China National Space Admin­is­tra­tion (CNSA) said its rover Zhu Rong – named after the Chinese god of fire and war – suc­cess­fully landed on Mars yes­ter­day after “nine minutes of ter­ror”, refer­ring to Nasa’s descrip­tion of the period of des­cent, when engin­eers on Earth have no con­trol or over­sight of the rover because of the radio sig­nal delay. “The sci­entific research team con­firmed via the tele­metry sig­nal sent by the Zhu Rong Mars rover that on May 15, the Tian­wen-1 Lander suc­cess­fully landed in the preselec­ted land­ing area in the Uto­pia Plain of south­ern Mars,” CNSA said. Pres­id­ent Xi Jin­ping said in a writ­ten con­grat­u­lat­ory mes­sage that the mis­sion was an import­ant step in China’s space explor­a­tion. Sci­ent­ists should con­tinue their explor­a­tion of Mars and accel­er­ate China’s devel­op­ment as a space power.

May 15, 2026

Industry

As Trump wraps up China trip, what will he and Xi take from historic summit?

Donald Trump concludes milestone China visit after Xi Jinping shows him around Zhongnanhai The ancient trees and roses at Zhongnanhai drew Trump’s eye and sparked some light-hearted banter between the two leaders. As they strolled through the Chinese leaders’ compound, Xi pointed out ancient trees, some of them a few hundred years old. “They live that long?” Trump asked, with a smiling Xi noting that some of the trees were over 1,000 years old. “Nice place. I like it,” Trump quipped. “I could get used to this.” Later, Xi delved into the history of the compound, which used to be part of the Imperial Garden. “The president was interested to learn all about that, including the Chinese roses, which we looked at. And I agreed to send the seeds for these roses to the president as a gift,” Xi said.

May 15, 2026

Industry

Russia’s Putin is heading to China next week, days after historic Xi-Trump summit

The Russian leader’s one-day visit, tipped for May 20, is unlikely to feature the pomp and elaborate details of the US president’s trip Sources told the South China Morning Post that the one-day visit was expected to take place later next week, on May 20. They also said the trip was part of Moscow’s routine dealings with Beijing, with little expectation that there would be an elaborate parade or welcome. It will be the first time that China has hosted the leaders of the two powers in the same month outside a multilateral setting, a reflection of Beijing’s efforts to manage ties with both countries and position itself as a pivotal power amid an increasingly fractured world order. Sources said Putin’s visit would not likely feature that scale of pomp, as Chinese officials had been busy with the Trump trip.

May 15, 2026