Trump China visit live: US president claims many ‘problems settled’ as he holds final round of talks with Xi

While Donald Trump enjoyed a formal lunch inside Xi Jinping’s residence in Zhongnanhai, everyone waiting outside got something much more familiar to the US president – McDonald’s.

Outside the residence, US embassy staff, White House aides and members of the travelling press corps were handed bags of burgers and fries as they waited in parking lots and vans for Trump’s departure back to Washington.

McDonald’s is famously one of Trump’s favourite meals. His chief of staff Susie Wiles recently said he eats it almost every day.

During his 2024 re-election campaign, Trump even worked briefly at a McDonald’s drive-thru window, and earlier this year had a McDonald’s order delivered to the Oval Office during an event on taxes for tipped workers.

Pastor Jin Mingri was eating dinner at his apartment in Beihai in China’s Guangxi province on 10 October when at least 20 plainclothes police officers barged in and arrested him.

The founder of the Zion Church was among dozens of Christians who were arrested that month in a nationwide crackdown on unauthorised churches.

Trump and Xi have begun their working lunch, the final event on the schedule before the US president returns to Washington.

The final day of talks is still underway in China as Xi and Trump met at the Zhongnanhai compound.

Xi Jinping said he and Donald Trump had reached a “new bilateral relationship” that was “constructive” during the joint address.

He said they have reached a “milestone” in US-China ties.

Donald Trump said they talked about trade, Iran, and “a lot of other things” as the two leaders spoke in front of the press to deliver their closing remarks.

Trump said they “settled a lot of different problems that other people woudn’t have been able to solve”.Speaking about Iran, he said “we don’t want them to have nuclear weapons”, and “we want the strait open”.

He also extended gratitude to Xi, saying it’s an honour to be in Beijing.

He said the two leaders would meet again on 24 September, when Xi is due to visit the US, adding that he hoped Xi would be as impressed by America then as Trump said he was by China during this visit.

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping were seated alongside senior officials from both sides, including Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, Scott Bessent, US ambassador to China David Perdue and US trade representative Jamieson Greer.

Trump said the two countries had made “fantastic trade deals”.

Xi was accompanied by several top Chinese officials, including his chief of staff Cai Qi, foreign minister Wang Yi, Vice Premier He Lifeng and vice foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu.

Trump and Xi reportedly spoke privately for about 10 minutes away from reporters before continuing their walk through the Zhongnanhai compound.

“These are the most beautiful roses anyone has ever seen,” Trump remarked as they walked together.

When asked if he was enjoying the visit, the US president responded with a thumbs up before a Chinese official told reporters: “No questions.”

The two leaders then continued through a covered passageway decorated with painted archways depicting birds and traditional Chinese mountain landscapes.

Xi, speaking through a translator, explained the history of the compound and said he would send Trump rose seeds.

Zhongnanhai is a heavily guarded leadership compound in central Beijing, located just west of the Forbidden City. It has served as the main headquarters and residence complex for China’s top Communist Party and state leaders, including Xi Jinping, since 1949.

The compound is known for its quiet lakes, classical Chinese gardens, tree-lined pathways and traditional pavilions, giving it the appearance of an imperial-style retreat rather than a government office complex.

Much of it dates back to former imperial gardens used during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Its name comes from two connected lakes, Zhonghai and Nanhai.

Unlike the grand public spaces of the Great Hall of the People, Zhongnanhai is highly secretive and rarely seen by outsiders. Meetings held there are often meant to signal a more personal or informal level of diplomacy.

Richard Nixon met Mao Zedong there in 1972 and most recently, US former president Barack Obama met Xi at Yingtai, an imperial-era site inside Zhongnanhai, during the 2014 summit.