NPR News: 05-14-2026 7AM EDT

Korva Coleman· Host0:00

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting President Trump at a state banquet in Beijing right now. This follows a day of talks. The dinner began with toasts and remarks. President Xi is heard here through an interpreter.

Speaker 1· Soundbite0:15

Today, President Trump and I had in-depth exchanges on China-U.S. relations and international and regional dynamics. We both believe that the China-U.S. relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. We must make it work and never mess it up. Both China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.

Korva Coleman· Host0:42

President Trump has now officially invited President Xi to visit the United States in late September. The U.S. and China have put out statements summarizing the leaders' talks. As NPR's Tamara Keith reports, both nations are sticking to the script.

Tamara Keith0:56

The Chinese summary of the talks says Chinese President Xi Jinping pressed Trump on the issue of Taiwan, a self-governed island nation China claims as its own, saying if it isn't handled well, there could be clashes and even conflicts that put the entire U.S.-China relationship in jeopardy. The U.S. statement about the talks doesn't even mention Taiwan. It describes the meeting as good and says the leaders discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation. It also says the two sides agreed the Strait of Hormuz should be open and Iran