Trump China visit live: Rubio hoping for ‘positive response’ to appeal for release of Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai | China
important events
US’s Taiwan policy ‘unchanged’ – Rubio
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that US policy towards Taiwan “has not changed” following the summit talks between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing..
“Our policies on this have not changed,” Rubio told NBC News. “He’s been pretty consistent across multiple presidential administrations, and he continues to be consistent now.”
Xi warned Trump on Thursday that China and the United States could clash if the issue of self-governing Taiwan, which Beijing claims is mishandled.
“The Taiwan issue is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi said.
Welcome summary
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping will meet on Friday to wrap up a two-day high-stakes state visit This included flashy and business deals, as well as a stern warning from Xi that mishandling the Taiwan issue could push US-China relations “into a very dangerous place.”
Trump is making the first visit to China by a US president since 2017 and is hoping for concrete results that could improve his sagging approval ratings ahead of crucial midterm elections.
The two leaders are scheduled to have tea and lunch today before Trump returns to the United States.
The United States expects a positive response from China to Washington’s calls for the release of jailed media mogul Jimmy Lai and others, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC in an interview broadcast Thursday.
Lai, a leading pro-democracy activist and critic of the Chinese Communist Party, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong after being found guilty of national security and sedition charges. He later said he would not appeal his conviction, opening the door to political negotiations for his release.
During the Beijing summit, Trump is also expected to encourage China to persuade Iran to make a deal with Washington to end a war that is unpopular with American voters. A brief U.S. summary of Thursday’s talks highlighted what the White House called the leaders’ shared desire to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and Xi’s apparent interest in buying U.S. oil to reduce China’s dependence on Middle Eastern resources.
In other developments:
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Trump tells Fox News China has agreed to order 200 Boeing jets – purchased a US-made commercial jet for the first time in nearly a decade. However, markets were expecting a much higher figure; Previous reports suggested 500 or more may be involved, and Boeing shares fell more than 4% following the comments.
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Xi’s remarks about Taiwan, the island Beijing claims is democratically governed, represented a stark warning during a flashy summit otherwise he seemed friendly and relaxed. Beijing said they came to a closed-door meeting that lasted more than two hours.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tells NBC News Taiwan is being discussedThe Chinese say “we always raise the issue… we always clarify our position and move on to other issues.” Rubio is among a large contingent of US officials and businessmen traveling to China with Trump.
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At a lavish state banquet on Wednesday, Xi called the China-US relationship the most important in the world and added: “We must make it work and never screw it up.” Trump had previously told Xi that their two countries “will have a great future together.”
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The aim of the summit was to preserve the fragile trade truce The last time leaders met was in October, when Trump suspended triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods and Xi backed away from choking global supplies of vital rare earth elements.
With news agencies
