President Trump boarded Air Force One in Beijing on Friday with an order for 200 Boeing jets, a Chinese commitment to buy American soybeans, beef and oil, and Xi Jinping's promise that China would not supply military equipment to Iran, but no resolution on the war that closed the Strait of Hormuz and no public concession on a $14 billion U.S. arms package for Taiwan.

The deliverables, announced piecemeal across Thursday's closed-door session at the Great Hall of the People and Friday's bilateral tea at the Zhongnanhai Garden compound, give both leaders a commercial story to tell after last year's tariff war and freeze in place the issues most likely to drive the next confrontation. The Iran war entered its 77th day on Friday, with Brent crude still anchored above $100 a barrel, and Xi used Thursday's meeting to warn Trump of "clashes and even conflicts" if Taiwan is not handled properly, according to a readout from Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

What was sold

Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday that Xi had committed to buying 200 Boeing jets and that China would also buy American oil, soybeans and beef. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on CNBC the two governments had discussed setting up a "Board of Trade" and a "Board of Investment" to oversee commerce between them. Trump did not detail the trade agreements before lunch on Friday, calling the trip an "incredible visit" and saying the two sides had made "fantastic trade deals."

The White House readout cited expanded market access for American businesses in China and increased Chinese investment in U.S. industries. It did not mention Chinese export controls on rare earths, which Beijing has tightened in recent months. The American delegation that flew home with the president included Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook and the chief executives of Nvidia, BlackRock and Goldman Sachs.

Xi on Iran

Trump said after Thursday's meeting that Xi had told him China would not provide military equipment to Iran, a commitment Trump characterized to Fox News as a "big statement." The White House readout said both leaders agreed the Strait of Hormuz must remain open, that Xi opposed any militarization of the waterway or tolls on vessels passing through it, and that "Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."

The Chinese readout said none of those things. Beijing's statement, posted by the foreign ministry while Trump was in the capital, called for "a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire" and pointed to a four-point plan Xi has previously offered for the region. It made no reference to Iranian tolls, the militarization of the strait or the Iranian nuclear program.

China is the largest buyer of Iranian crude, taking 80 to 90 percent of Tehran's annual oil exports, according to Al Jazeera. Xi expressed interest in buying more American oil to reduce Chinese dependence on Gulf supplies, the White House said. No timeline or volume was attached.

Off the page

Xi told Trump on Thursday that "the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations," Mao Ning wrote on X, and warned that mishandling it would put "the entire relationship in great jeopardy." The White House readout did not mention Taiwan. Trump and Xi ignored reporters' questions on the topic Thursday.

A reporter aboard Air Force One on Friday asked Trump whether the United States would defend Taiwan against a Chinese attack. "That question was asked to me today by President Xi. I said I don't talk about that," Trump said. "I don't want to say that."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News that U.S. policy toward Taiwan was "unchanged" and that it would be "a terrible mistake" for China to take the island by force. The Trump administration has approved an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan, according to PBS NewsHour, and Al Jazeera reported a $14 billion deal still awaiting the president's sign-off. Neither has begun to be fulfilled. Michelle Lee, a spokesperson for Taiwan's premier, thanked Washington for its "long-term support" after the Trump-Xi meeting.

Xi will make a reciprocal visit to the White House on Sept. 24, a date Trump announced at Thursday's state banquet.

The counterview

The summit's most concrete outputs are the kind that can be retracted. Trump's first state visit to Beijing in 2017 produced more than $250 billion in announced commercial deals, according to Fox News, and the two governments were in a tariff war the following year. Liza Tobin, the former China director at the National Security Council under both Trump and Biden, told PBS NewsHour that Beijing is pushing Washington to adopt the phrase "constructive strategic stability" to describe the relationship, a formulation she said is meant to give China "a vote and a veto power over U.S. national security decisions." Myron Brilliant, the former U.S. Chamber of Commerce executive, called the bilateral relationship one of "high competition, high distrust, and low cooperation."

The next markers are concrete. Trump has yet to sign the pending Taiwan arms package; a delay or downward revision would, in Brilliant's reading, signal a quiet concession to Beijing. Xi's promised White House visit is on Sept. 24. The Iran war, on its 77th day Friday, is the variable both leaders left untouched.