Ahmet Salih Alacaci
16 May 2026•Update: 16 May 2026
US President Donald Trump returned Friday to the White House from a four-day trip to China, calling the visit a “tremendous success.”
“A lot of things have happened that you’ll be hearing about them, but that was a tremendous success. I think it really was an historic moment,” Trump told reporters before entering the White House after his more than 13-hour return trip from Beijing.
He said the two sides reached “great trade deals” during the visit, while praising what he described as their “great relationships.”
Trump, who arrived Wednesday in China, departed Friday after holding two days of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in high-stakes meetings between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies.
The trip marked the first visit to China by a sitting US president in nine years. Trump last traveled to Beijing in 2017 during his first term in office.
During and after talks Wednesday and Thursday, Trump said the two sides reached several agreements, including on energy and agricultural trade.
He also said China agreed to purchase more than 200 Boeing aircraft, along with a pledge for 750 additional planes, as well as between 400 and 450 engines from General Electric.
The visit also comes amid the Middle East war triggered after US and Israeli forces launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting Tehran’s retaliation against Israel and US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. An indefinite ceasefire is currently in effect.
Trump has claimed that he and Xi share the view that Iran should not possess nuclear weapons capabilities and that Tehran should reopen the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic.
China has reiterated its demand for dialogue in the region, while Washington, before Trump’s visit, accused Beijing of supporting Iran’s military and economic capabilities.