US President Donald Trump took Chinese leader Xi Jinping to see the founding documents of American democracy on Friday, capping a state visit full of pomp and pageantry but with no major breakthroughs.
Trump said he discussed the stalled Iran war with Xi, and the two leaders confirmed that they would meet for a third and fourth time this year at international summits in China and the United States. Both leaders confirmed they would meet again at the EC summit in Shenzen, China, in November and the G20 forum at Trump’s Doral resort in Miami in December. But as Trump showed Xi around the National Archives in Washington home to the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution it underscored that the summit was more about spectacle than substance. The message from the US and Chinese sides was that the summit had nevertheless helped smooth tensions between the rival superpowers over a host of issues. The Chinese leader added that they had agreed to “strategic stability on the basis of respect, fairness, and reciprocity. The announcement that the two leaders would continue their dialogue was perhaps the biggest deliverable for both sides. On the final day of the authoritarian Chinese leader’s trip, Trump and his wife Melania brought Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan to the imposing National Archives building.
Trump said the meeting was “one of Friendship, Strength, and Success, for both China and the U.S.A. “We’ve made great strides, very positive for both countries,” Trump told reporters as he had tea with Xi at the White House on Friday before the archives trip. – ‘Strategic stability’ – Trump has rolled out the red carpet throughout the visit, treating Xi to a state banquet full of US tech titans, plus military parades, a flyover and even a tour of his new White House helipad and ballroom. For his part, Xi said his Washington trip had added “new substance” to his summit with Trump in Beijing in May. There they inspected the Declaration of Independence, which marks its 250th anniversary this year and which set out the path for American independence from the “tyrant” British king.
The summit produced no major policy announcements on flashpoints like artificial intelligence, Taiwan or trade, apart from a two-month extension of a tariff truce between the world’s two largest economies. The only other reveal was that two Chinese pandas would soon arrive at a US zoo. Beneath the rotunda, Trump also showed Xi the US constitution, the document that set out the principles of the country’s democratic government two and a half centuries ago. The Republican has faced pressure from Democrats and his own party to confront Xi over reports that Beijing has supplied Tehran with intelligence for attacks on US troops. Asked if he thought there would be progress on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which is crucial for the flow of oil, Trump replied: “I think we’re going to do great. Trump’s showcasing of US democracy at the National Archives comes a week after he banned three major US media outlets from the White House. The First Amendment of the US Constitution protects the freedom of the press. Rights groups criticize China for its lack of press freedoms and the right of free expression. Mr.
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping drank tea at the White House on Friday (September 25, 2026) and visited the National Archives, capping a three-day summit that showcased personal diplomacy rather than big breakthroughs in economic relations.
“We’re just comparing how this goes 250 years, theirs goes 6,000 years,” Trump told reporters, referring to China’s ancient roots, as he stood alongside Xi, chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, which has ruled China since 1949. – Iran talks – Trump confirmed during the archive visit that the two leaders had discussed the US-Israeli war in Iran, which is approaching its seven-month mark. “We did, we did,” Trump said at the National Archives when asked if they had talked about Iran. Trump also publicly mocked his democratically elected predecessor Joe Biden as he gave Xi a tour of the White House on Thursday, showing him a picture of an “autopen” that he has mounted in a gallery of US presidents instead of Biden’s portrait. dk/mjf This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Trump said the summit between the world’s two largest economies had produced great strides and that “I think our farmers are going to be happy” but did not provide details. Earlier reporting noted: “America is very happy about this visit, and I’m sure China is very happy also,” he said.
Earlier reporting noted: Trump, Xi wrap up summit with tea and tour of U.S. archives U.S. Earlier reporting noted: The two leaders praised each other in remarks while they had tea in the White House Red Room. They were readmitted on Thursday on the orders of a US judge.
