U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he made "no commitments" regarding Taiwan during his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, after Beijing warned that the issue could cause conflict between the two countries, and also revealed that he is considering lifting sanctions on Chinese companies that buy Iranian oil, UNN reports, citing CNN.
Regarding Taiwan
"On Taiwan, he feels very strongly. I made no commitments either way," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from China.
Asked if Xi had hinted at the risk of conflict with the United States over Taiwan, Trump downplayed the prospect.
"I don't think there's a conflict, other than we don't need their power, we don't need Taiwan," Trump said.
Trump also stated that he and Xi discussed Taiwan and U.S. arms sales to the island "in great detail" during their meetings.
Trump also made it clear that a decision on future U.S. arms sales to Taiwan has not yet been made. "I'll make a decision," Trump replied when asked.
"We discussed Taiwan, the whole arms sale thing, in great detail actually, and I'll be making a decision, but you know, I think the last thing we need right now is a war that's 9,500 miles away," Trump said.
The U.S. President reiterated that "the last thing we need right now is a war," a response that comes amid the ongoing war between the United States and Iran.
Asked if the United States would defend Taiwan in the event of a conflict with China, Trump refused to answer directly, stating that Xi had asked him the same question earlier that day.
"There's only one person who knows that, you know who? Me, I'm the only person," Trump said.
"That question was asked of me today by President Xi," Trump added, explaining that Xi asked if the United States would defend Taiwan. "I said I don't talk about it."
Trump's comments came after China stated in its official report of the meeting that Xi warned the U.S. President that mishandling the Taiwan issue could lead to confrontation between Washington and Beijing.
Trump considers lifting sanctions on Chinese companies buying Iranian oil
The U.S. President also said he is considering lifting sanctions on Chinese companies that buy Iranian oil, as the war and disruptions in oil markets continue.
"I'm going to make a decision over the next few days. We talked about it," Trump told reporters Friday, returning from a state visit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Asked by reporters aboard Air Force One if Xi had made a firm commitment to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump replied: "I don't ask for any favors, because when you ask for favors, you have to do favors in return."
Trump added that he believes Xi would like to see the strait opened, noting that China gets a significant portion of its oil from the Persian Gulf, while asserting that the U.S. "gets nothing. We don't need it."
Iran is one of the world's largest oil producers, exporting an average of 1.69 million barrels per day in 2025, according to analysis firm Kpler. Approximately 90% of its oil goes to China, according to U.S. government data. China has not imposed sanctions on Iranian oil and says it opposes sanctions on Iranian oil, as previously reported by CNN.
Due to sanctions, Iran relies on an opaque fleet of aging tankers to transport its oil around the world. China does not officially declare imports of Iranian oil and often masks the oil's origin as Malaysian, according to Yen Kong Low, an oil market analyst at Kpler.
Tariffs were not discussed
Trump also told reporters on Air Force One that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping did not discuss tariffs during two days of talks.
"We didn't discuss tariffs," Trump said. "I mean, they pay tariffs. They pay substantial tariffs, but we didn't discuss it."
"The subject didn't come up," he added.
According to Chinese state media Xinhua, U.S. and Chinese trade envoys met in South Korea on Wednesday and held positive talks hours before Trump landed in Beijing.
US and China convene for trade talks in Seoul ahead of Trump-Xi summit13.05.26, 10:00
Following a previous meeting between the two leaders in October in South Korea, Trump lowered the overall tariff rate on Chinese goods to 47%.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court annulled some of the tariffs Trump imposed last year.
US Supreme Court rules Trump's global tariffs illegal20.02.26, 17:31
Few deals announced so far
Earlier in an interview with Fox News, Trump touted economic deals reached after his two-day summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during an interview that aired Thursday night, "though few deals have been announced so far," The Wall Street Journal notes.
Trump stated that three dozen deals were signed during the previous meeting with Xi, and "this time they are much bigger." However, so far only the purchase of 200 Boeing aircraft by the Chinese has been announced, which is much less than the expected 500, WSJ points out.
Trump hinted that more news would come in the form of soybean and agricultural product purchases. "They're going to be buying a lot" of American agricultural products, including soybeans, the U.S. President said.