What did the U.S. get out of Trump's trip to China?

9.82M subscribers

views

May 15, 2026 #Trump #XiJinping #China

President Trump says he discussed arms sales to Taiwan with China's President Xi Jinping. Trump also says he is "not asking for any favors" from Xi on Iran. MS NOW White House Reporter Jake Traylor, Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times Peter Baker and former U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke join Erielle Reshef to discuss more. MS NOW: My Source for News, Opinion, and the World. » Subscribe to MS NOW:

/ @msnow » Subscribe to MS NOW’s We the People Newsletter for exclusive content from your favorite MS NOW anchors. Sign up now for free at https://ms.now/joinus MS NOW is the go-to destination for domestic and international breaking news, and best-in-class opinion journalism. For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day click here: https://www.ms.now/ #Trump #XiJinping #China

Transcript

Follow along using the transcript.

Let's bring in MSNOW White House r, New York Times Chief White House correspondent Peter Baker. He is an MSNOW political analyst and former U .S.

7 seconds

ambassador to China under President Obama Gary Locke.

10 seconds

Jake, President Trump's response to a question about an arms package for Taiwan is getting a lot of attention this morning. What more do we know?

18 seconds

Ariel, look, I mean, he was asked point blank on Air Force One by a reporter if the United States would defend Taiwan in the case of a Chinese attack.

27 seconds

And President Trump told the reporter that he was actually asked that exact same question by President Xi in their earlier conversations.

33 seconds

And he said that he told President Xi, quote, I don't talk about that.

37 seconds

Look, Xi warned Trump at the beginning of these two-day conversations that there was a just serious significance here in terms of how the United States

46 seconds

and China go about these Taiwanese independence, saying that it could potentially have clashes and conflicts if they don't get to an agreeable place here.

56 seconds

These relations are all underpinned by this potential selling of arms to Taiwan.

1 minute, 1 second

The president saying he would soon make a determination on what that looks like going forward. Take a listen to more of that on Air Force one.

1 minute, 11 seconds

What about the arms sales to Taiwan? I'll make a determination over the next early. You're not necessarily going to go ahead.

1 minute, 19 seconds

It was your proposal. Make a determination. I'm going to see.

1 minute, 21 seconds

I have to speak to the person that right now, as you know, you know who he is. That's running Taiwan. Would the U .S. defend Taiwan if it came to it? don't want to say.

1 minute, 29 seconds

I'm not going to say that. There's only one person that knows that. You know who it is being.

1 minute, 38 seconds

Ariel, just to even more underscore the significance of this issue, it was reported by Chinese state media that at some point in the conversations

1 minute, 45 seconds

over the past couple of days, President Xi told President Trump that when it comes to the Taiwan question, that is the sole and most significant aspect

1 minute, 54 seconds

of the ongoing United States and Chinese relations.

1 minute, 57 seconds

So a really clearly significant moment that we are still waiting on as the president says he's still going to make that determination shortly, but not made during this trip.

2 minutes, 7 seconds

So, Peter, what do you make of the ambiguity that the president is sort of enlisting in this

2 minutes, 26 seconds

and if the circumstance is warranted, how should we all be reading this? And how is China reading this? Yeah.

2 minutes, 32 seconds

I mean, first of all, let's remember that traditional American policy with regard to Taiwan has been something called strategic ambiguity.

2 minutes, 39 seconds

We have never officially said we would defend Taiwan against a Chinese attack.

2 minutes, 45 seconds

However, President Biden, when he was in office several times asked questions much like the one that was asked of President Trump today, said explicitly that he would in fact,

2 minutes, 54 seconds

use the military force to defend Taiwan if it came to it. That was a break with years of that strategic ambiguity.

3 minutes, 1 second

Trump, in effect, is returning to that older policy and effect of saying I'm not going to say one way or the other, we will just leave it at that.

3 minutes, 9 seconds

Now, you know, does that mean he is backing off? We don't know.

3 minutes, 13 seconds

It's possible that he is simply viewing this as not wanting to poke China at the tail end of their meeting, wanting to keep whatever good feelings there were or have.

3 minutes, 22 seconds

We'll see if he actually follows through on the arms sales. That's the real test here.

3 minutes, 25 seconds

If he doesn't follow through on the arms sales, that would be a huge break with American tradition and policy with regard to Taiwan.

3 minutes, 32 seconds

If he's simply saying, I don't want to stay right now because I don't want to spoil, you know, the good feelings we have, but he ends up going through it, that's a different thing. That could be seen as an act of diplomacy.

3 minutes, 41 seconds

We'll have to see.

3 minutes, 42 seconds

Yeah, and this president tends to operate in in an aura of ambiguity in general.

3 minutes, 47 seconds

So this may not be such a departure from what we've seen in other realms.

3 minutes, 50 seconds

Ambassador, how important are these arms deals to Taiwan and Asia, Asia Pacific as a whole?

3 minutes, 56 seconds

What are your concerns if the president doesn't APPROVE THIS PACKAGE?

3 minutes, 59 seconds

WELL, OBVIOUSLY, TAIWAN IS VERY CONCERNED WHETHER OR NOT THE UNITED STATES IS FOLLOWING THROUGH ON ITS AMBIGUITY TOWARD IT.

4 minutes, 8 seconds

BUT UNDERLYING SUPPORT FOR TAIWAN, AND IT'S POLICY OF SAYING THAT TAIWAN AND THE MAINLAND SHOULD RESOLVE THIS PEACEFULLY WITHOUT FORCE.

4 minutes, 17 seconds

BUT THE OTHER NATIONS ARE GOING TO BE WATCHING TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT AMERICA'S WORD OR COMMITMENT IN TERMS

4 minutes, 26 seconds

THE CONGRESS SUPPORTED, PASSED THE ARMS SALE ON A BIPARTISAN BASIS.

4 minutes, 32 seconds

IT WAS INITIATED BY THE ADMINISTRATION, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. SO PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE watching. Can we trust America to follow through?

4 minutes, 40 seconds

Jake, the Iran war also very much a factor on this trip. Take us into those conversations.

4 minutes, 45 seconds

Yeah, I mean, look, the president said he's asking THE PRESIDENT DID SAY THEY AGREED ON SOME

4 minutes, 57 seconds

OF THE MORE LARGE AND OBVIOUS ISSUES THAT THEY SAID IRAN SHOULD NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON.

5 minutes, 4 seconds

TRUMP SAID HE IS CONSIDERING LIFTING SANCTIONS ON CHINESE COMPANIES THAT BUY IRANIAN OIL.

5 minutes, 12 seconds

THAT IS LARGELY SIGNIFICANT.

5 minutes, 14 seconds

CHINA THE PRESIDENT TENDS TO BE THE LARGEST BUYER OF IRANIAN OIL.

5 minutes, 18 seconds

IF THAT IS THE CASE, THAT WOULD BE QUITE THE MOVE.

5 minutes, 20 seconds

AND THAT ALSO SEEMS TO BE THE THEME OF SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS THE PRESIDENT HAD IN REGARDS TO IRAN, IN in regards to Taiwan is that there were conversations had,

5 minutes, 29 seconds

there was no substantive detail reached and that the president is now making considerations in this case about lifting oil sanctions.

5 minutes, 36 seconds

Take a listen to the president speaking about that on Air Force One hours ago.

5 minutes, 41 seconds

I'm not asking for any favors, because when you ask for favors, you have to do favors in return. We don't need favors. We did discuss Iran.

5 minutes, 49 seconds

We feel very similar to Iran We want that to end. We don't want them to have a nuclear weapon.

5 minutes, 56 seconds

We want the straits open. We're closing it now. They closed it, then we closed it on top of them.

6 minutes, 4 seconds

President Xi and China's comments around the war, though, have shed no clear light exactly on how Beijing might use their influence

6 minutes, 12 seconds

in Tehran to help end a war that China has said should have never started in the first place.

6 minutes, 16 seconds

So, Ambassador I THINK THE AMBASSADOR, IRAN IS HEAVILY DEPENDENT, BEHOLDEN TO CHINA.

6 minutes, 21 seconds

HOW LIKELY IS IT THAT CHINA COULD PLAY A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN TRYING TO REOPEN THE THEN, IF YOU WIND DOWN THIS CONFLICT, WHAT COULD THEIR INVOLVEMENT LOOK LIKE?

6 minutes, 29 seconds

WELL, FIRST OF ALL, PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT CHINA GETS VERY LITTLE OF ITS ENERGY SUPPLY FROM IRAN.

6 minutes, 36 seconds

YES, IT IS IRAN'S MAJOR BUYER OF OIL, BUT THE OIL COMING FROM THE ENTIRE MIDDLE EAST, THE GULF STATES AND IRAN COUNT FOR LESS

6 minutes, 44 seconds

THAN ABOUT 6 % OF THE TOTAL ENERGY SUPPLY THAT CHINA USES.

6 minutes, 48 seconds

CHINA REALLY GETS MOST OF ITS ENERGY FROM COLD NUCLEAR, wind and solar.

6 minutes, 53 seconds

But Iran perhaps needs China more than China needs Iran.

6 minutes, 58 seconds

Of course, China very much wants the straits opened and the blockade lifted because that oil needs to flow

7 minutes, 7 seconds

THE OIL HAS DRIVEN UP THE PRICE OF OIL AROUND THE WORLD WHICH HURTS THE ECONOMIES OF ALL THE OTHER NATIONS ESPECIALLY NATIONS THAT BUY THINGS FROM CHINA.

7 minutes, 17 seconds

SO IT'S IN CHINA'S best interest to have a strong, stable economy driven by the reopening of the strait.

7 minutes, 26 seconds

Peter, the president walked away from this week touting fantastic trade deals.

7 minutes, 30 seconds

He said a nothing like that.

7 minutes, 45 seconds

He would have loved to have had that if he could have.

7 minutes, 47 seconds

Look, he comes back from every foreign trip bragging about some sort of deals that he says he has made and often they turn out to be more ephemeral than he makes them out to be.

7 minutes, 57 seconds

So we'll have to wait and see if anything gets announced.

7 minutes, 59 seconds

He did say that China had agreed to buy 200 jets from Boeing. That's less than people had expected.

8 minutes, 5 seconds

And even then, neither China nor Boeing has actually confirmed that.

8 minutes, 9 seconds

So I think that this turned out to be more of a status quo summit with regard to trade, as far as we know, unless there were deals that haven't been disclosed yet.

8 minutes, 18 seconds

More of a stability thing than it was a big negotiation.

8 minutes, 23 seconds

But on some level there's, that's significant too because this is a president who in the past has been a China hawk who's threatened to blow up the relationship.

8 minutes, 30 seconds

A visit that didn't actually blow up for a president who's known to be volatile, you know, is significant in that sense.

8 minutes, 37 seconds

So So, Ambassador, given what Peter just said, was this a smart move for the president to travel to China right now?

8 minutes, 43 seconds

The last time a president was in China was President Trump about nine or so years ago.

8 minutes, 48 seconds

Well, I think it plays to his face because eventually deals will be announced.

8 minutes, 53 seconds

They may not be as large as people hope for or predicted, but nonetheless, if President Trump is later able

9 minutes

to announce the sale of soybeans, beef and Boeing airplanes, that will mean that his trip was successful.

9 minutes, 7 seconds

Going into this summit, people had very low expectations, and I think they were proven right. She has warned of the so-called Thucydides trap.

9 minutes, 16 seconds

Much has been made of that TAKE A LOOK AT THAT COMMENT WHERE IT'S A REFERENCE TO A DOMINANT POWER BEING THREATENED BY AN EMERGING ONE. HE ALSO OUTRIGHT BASICALLY THREATENED THE U .S.

9 minutes, 25 seconds

TO KEEP it in line with Taiwan.

9 minutes, 27 seconds

Given how at will she kind of seems to feel at this point with his bold statements, is China sensing an opening with President Trump?

9 minutes, 36 seconds

Why do you believe that THAT THE LEADER HAS BEEN SO OUTSPOKEN DURING THIS TRIP?

9 minutes, 41 seconds

WELL, I THINK IT'S VERY CLEAR THAT PRESIDENT XI IS VERY CONFIDENT. HE'S BASICALLY PRESIDENT FOR LIFE.

9 minutes, 48 seconds

HE KNOWS THAT PRESIDENT PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS LOW APPROVAL RATINGS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE WAR IS VERY UNPOPULAR AND PRICES ARE SKY

9 minutes, 56 seconds

HIGH SO HE'S COMING INTO THIS MEETING AND HOSTING PRESIDENT TRUMP FROM A POSITION OF STRENGTH AND GREAT confidence and, you know,

10 minutes, 5 seconds

flattering President Trump with a lot of pageantry and state dinners and performances.

10 minutes, 10 seconds

But in the end, it is just the status quo, continuation of the status quo.

10 minutes, 14 seconds

It's a very important point that it's not just Americans who are paying attention to public sentiment here at home. It's also our allies and adversaries as well.

10 minutes, 22 seconds

Jake Traylor, Ambassador Gary Locke and Peter Baker, thank you all.

10 minutes, 26 seconds

Next, growing pressure on the president

MS NOW

9.82M subscribers

some songs

Friday, May 15, 2026