Economy News

Trump claims ‘fantastic trade deals’ in Beijing; China confirms neither Boeing nor soybeans

Donald Trump ended a two-day visit to Beijing on Friday 15 May, the first by a US president in nearly a decade, saying he had made “fantastic trade deals” with Xi Jinping. AFP, carried by Malay Mail, reports Trump said Xi agreed to buy “200 big” Boeing jets, but Boeing shares fell after the remarks, suggesting markets had expected a larger order. Talks also covered agriculture, aviation and artificial intelligence.

NPR says the trip was big on pageantry but fell short on concrete agreements: China had not confirmed the Boeing or soybean purchases, and the White House had not published a detailed written account.

“They don't necessarily go issue by issue.” — Wu Xinbo, Fudan University, on how China sees leaders' meetings, via NPR

How each outlet framed it

• NPR — claims versus confirmation; Trump himself hedged on Boeing, telling Fox News “I think it was a commitment.”
• Malay Mail (AFP) — the wider agenda: Xi warning that missteps on Taiwan could lead to “conflict”, and China calling for shipping lanes closed by the Iran war to reopen.
• China Briefing — a line-by-line tally six days later: a new Board of Trade and Board of Investment, tariff cuts on US$30 billion of goods for each side, and renewed licences for more than 400 US beef plants.

Where the numbers differ: the White House says China will buy at least US$17 billion of US farm products a year in 2026–2028; China's commerce ministry confirmed expanded farm trade but not that figure. The one-year tariff truce running to November was not extended.