On Nov. 26 local time, the U.S. and Chinese governments announced the results of the summit separately — in the form of a fact sheet and a list of eight agreed items, respectively — without a joint statement. The two sides agreed to activate the trade and investment committee agreed upon at the Beijing summit in May and finalized the tariff reduction plan for $30 billion (about 40.8 trillion won) worth of non-sensitive goods agreed at that time. The White House listed agricultural products, seafood, logs and timber products, cosmetics and medical devices as U.S. export items subject to tariff cuts, and named consumer goods such as small home appliances, toys and children's car seats as Chinese exports.
On AI, the two sides agreed to establish a "U.S.-China AI dialogue" to exchange views on the risks of AI and to hold the first meeting in November. They also agreed to build a communication channel in preparation for accidents that AI could cause. The documents also included commitments to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Shenzhen, China, in November and the Group of 20 (G20) summit scheduled for December in Miami, Florida. Separately, although it was not in the official announcements, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Nov. 23 that the two sides had agreed to extend by two months the trade truce set to expire on Nov. 10, suggesting the imposition of high tariffs has been pushed back to Jan. 10 next year. That is a meager outcome compared with forecasts by U.S. think tanks, which had expected an extension of at least six months to a year.
Even so, no breakthrough was reached on core issues, and the gap between the two sides was plain to see. On Iran, both sides only reaffirmed general positions, stating that "Iran cannot have nuclear weapons and no country may impose tolls on international waterways." On rare earths, the White House stressed that "the United States and China are continuing consultations to address U.S. concerns over supply chains for critical minerals including rare earths, with the goal of restoring appropriate levels of supply." But the word "rare earths" was nowhere to be found in China's announcement.
On AI, Trump signaled opposition to new regulation, saying he wanted "to leave it as it is," while Xi struck a different tone, saying AI "must remain under human control." Meeting reporters on Nov. 26, Trump made clear his intention to maintain the upper hand in competition with China, saying, "When you're in the lead, you don't open doors for each other."
In the trade agreements as well, the United States listed item after item slated for tariff cuts and asserted that "the trade committee has launched a working group focused on removing non-tariff barriers in the agricultural sector," but China's announcement contained no mention of tariff-cut items or a non-tariff barrier working group. The White House said "China plans to import at least 10 million tons of U.S. coal in 2027 and 2028," but the related content was omitted entirely from China's announcement.
The White House claimed the two leaders agreed to use the term "superintelligence (SI)" instead of AI. China, however, still used the term AI. The White House said the two sides discussed international issues including Russia and North Korea, while China's announcement made no mention of this. There was also no reference to North Korea's denuclearization, prompting speculation that this reflected Trump's willingness to pursue dialogue with Pyongyang.
Elsewhere, the state dinner at the White House on Nov. 24, attended by more than 130 people, drew a full turnout of American business leaders including Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, but most of the roughly 20 members of the Chinese delegation were officials, with no CEOs present.
Notably, Xinhua News Agency reported that Xi told Trump directly, "I hope you will uphold the correct position of opposing Taiwan independence." The U.S. government has long used the phrasing that it "does not support" Taiwan independence, so Xi effectively pressed Washington to "oppose" it. It is the first time China has demanded that the United States change its wording on Taiwan.
The United States also included in its announcement the line that it "fought alongside China as allies in World War II" — echoing Beijing, which has long highlighted the history of the two countries fighting together against Japan. In response, Japan's Foreign Ministry said "Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and President Trump held a telephone conversation and shared the results of the U.S.-China summit," adding that "the two countries agreed to strengthen cooperation on China-related issues and in the area of economic security," underscoring the closeness of the U.S.-Japan relationship.
