What did American allies make of Trump’s trip to China to meet Xi?

Advertisement2026 Xi-Trump summitChinaDiplomacyWhat did American allies make of Trump’s trip to China to meet Xi?

The meeting Beijing was watched around the world for clues on topics ranging from trade to Taiwan and rare earths

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Albee Zhangin ShanghaiandJosephine Main Hong KongPublished: 8:42pm, 15 May 2026The summit between presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump was watched closely around the world for welcome moves towards stability but it also triggered anxiety among traditional US allies.

In Japan, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was arranging calls with Trump and making plans to visit South Korea as the meetings in Beijing wrapped up, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

It quoted a government official as saying that Tokyo was anxious to learn what Washington and Beijing discussed about Taiwan and mainland China’s export controls on rare earths.

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“We believe it is important that US-China relations contribute to the stability of the international community, including Japan, and the government is closely monitoring the situation with great interest,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told the broadcaster.

02:58Xi Jinping gives Donald Trump an ‘extremely rare’ private tour of Beijing’s Zhongnanhai

William Klein, a senior associate with Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said Europe would welcome stable and predictable US-China relations.

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