Xi Jinping and Donald Trump hold closed-door meeting at Zhongnanhai
發佈日期: 2026-05-15 20:04
TVB News
US President Donald Trump has left China following a three-day visit.
In the concluding hours of their meeting, President Xi Jinping and Trump met at Zhongnanhai.
Xi describes the visit as "historic" saying the two sides had reached a milestone consensus.
Trump, meanwhile, says both sides had agreed to work towards the swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
After the clock chimed 11, President Xi Jinping received Donald Trump at Yingtai in Zhongnanhai.
Located next to the Forbidden City in Beijing, Zhongnanhai, literally translated as "middle and southern seas," is synonymous with China's seat of power as the primary residence of President Xi and the headquarters of the central government.
Introducing the imperial garden, Xi notes the trees here are 200 to 300 years old, inviting Trump to touch a 280-year-old tree which dates back to the Qing Dynasty.
TRUMP: "Nice place. I like it. I like it so much."
Xi says the history in the surrounding helps elevate one's perspective and sense of vision.
When asked by Trump if any other world leaders visited the gardens, Xi says Vladimir Putin had been here.
The pair then held a smaller-format meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in attendance.
The Chinese delegation included Secretary of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party Cai Qi, Foreign Minister Qang Yi and Vice Premier He Lifeng.
President Xi says this place has hosted generations of Chinese leaders, including Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao and he's chosen this place especially to reciprocate the hospitality extended to him in 2017 at Mar-a-Lago.
Xi says he instructed staff to prepare the seeds of Chinese rose or Yueji as a gift for Trump after the US president expressed interest in the flowers during the garden tour.
Xi also described Trump's visit this time as a "historic and landmark" having achieved construction and strategic bilateral relations and yielded multiple collaborative results.
Trump, meanwhile, underscores their friendship, noting he will arrange the same high-level reception for Xi's September state visit.
TRUMP: "We made some fantastic trade deals -- great for both countries. He's a man I respect greatly -- become really a friend. We've known each other for 11 years almost 12 years. It's a long time. And we've settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn't have been able to settle. And the relationship is a really strong one."
Trump reveals they discussed the Middle East situation.
TRUMP: "We did discuss Iran. We feel very similar about Iran. We want that to end. We don't want them to have a nuclear weapon. We want the Straits to open. We are closing it now. They close it. And we close it on top of them. But we want the Straits to open. We want them to get it ended. Because it's crazy thing there."
China's top leaders reserve the highly secure grounds of Zhongnanhai for only their closest allies and carefully selected dignitaries.
This also marks the first time in 12 years a US President has been invited to Zhongnanhai.
Last time was Barack Obama in 2014.
At around 2:30 p.m, Trump boarded Air Force 1 at Beijing Capital International Airport, concluding his three-day visit and departed for Washington.
