{"id":137774,"date":"2026-05-14T13:40:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/05\/14\/trump-xi-talks-may-hinge-on-two-technical-points-between-us-and-china\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T13:42:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:42:39","slug":"trump-xi-talks-may-hinge-on-two-technical-points-between-us-and-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/05\/14\/trump-xi-talks-may-hinge-on-two-technical-points-between-us-and-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump-Xi talks may hinge on two technical points between US and China"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"RegularArticle-ArticleBody-5\" data-module=\"ArticleBody\" data-test=\"articleBody-2\" data-analytics=\"RegularArticle-articleBody-5-2\"><span class=\"HighlightShare-hidden\" style=\"top:0;left:0\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>US President Donald Trump&#8217;s summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping could hinge on two key technical points &#8211; critical minerals and market access for US companies. <\/p>\n<p>The much-awaited bilateral meeting between the two countries, which were locked in a tariff standoff a year ago, began on Thursday, with warm talks between the two leaders. The discussions will continue on Friday and are expected to include geopolitics of Taiwan and Iran as well as key trade topics. <\/p>\n<p>But it is issues related to the US and Chinese tech sectors that may be significant points of discussion and contention, including the roster of key US officials. <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-1\">nvidia&#8217;s<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span>    Jensen Huang, <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-2\">Tesla&#8217;s<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span>    Elon Musk and <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-3\">of apple<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span>    Tim Cook joined Trump on the plane.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage-imageEmbed\" id=\"ArticleBody-InlineImage-108306922\" data-test=\"InlineImage\">\n<div class=\"InlineImage-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<p>Tesla CEO Elon Musk gestures next to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ambassador to China David Perdue stand before a welcoming ceremony for U.S. President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on May 14, 2026. <\/p>\n<p>Alex Wong | Getty Images News | getty images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>\u201cWhat is at stake is not just a trip or a title, but also the direction of the AI \u200b\u200bsupply chain, the size of future export controls and the extent to which the U.S. chip lead is monetizable in China,\u201d Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities said in a note Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The presence of Huang, Musk, Cook and others indicates that technology and commerce are among the top US priorities at the meetings,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"Placeholder-ArticleBody-Video-108306852\">\n<div role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" id=\"Placeholder-ArticleBody-Video-108306852\" class=\"PlaceHolder-wrapper\" data-vilynx-id=\"7000412918\" data-test=\"VideoPlaceHolder\">\n<div class=\"InlineVideo-videoEmbed\" id=\"InlineVideo-0\" data-test=\"InlineVideo\">\n<div class=\"InlineVideo-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"InlineVideo-inlineThumbnailContainer\"><span class=\"InlineVideo-videoButton\"\/><span\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"ArticleBody-subtitle\">market access<\/h2>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>Access to the world&#8217;s second-largest economy for American tech companies is a key focus of Trump&#8217;s, with the US President commenting that opening up China to American businesses would be his &#8220;number one request&#8221; to Xi.<\/p>\n<p>Beijing welcomes deeper trade partnership with US <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/05\/14\/xi-china-open-us-business-ai-chips.html\">&#8220;The door to China will open more widely,&#8221; Xi said Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>The cordial atmosphere marks a sharp turnaround in relations just a year ago, when China became the first major economy to retaliate against Trump&#8217;s &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs in April 2025.<\/p>\n<p>A major issue is regulations governing Nvidia&#8217;s sales of advanced AI chips to China. Shortly after Trump met Xi on Thursday, Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the matter, that Washington had approved the sale of Nvidia&#8217;s H200 AI chips to several major Chinese technology firms.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We believe Nvidia is still pressing the U.S. government to allow the company to sell in China,&#8221; Brian Colello, senior equity analyst at Morningstar, told CNBC on Thursday. &#8220;We suspect that Nvidia would want to negotiate a solution where it could sell some gear in China, so that it would be part of the Chinese AI stack.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But a licensing deal for Nvidia&#8217;s H200 chips could be &#8220;politically explosive&#8221; and lead to a &#8220;fierce reaction from China hawks&#8221; in Congress, Heidi Crabo-Rediker, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told CNBC.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;One possible outcome is not a clean reopening of the China market, but rather a conditional, closely managed channel for Nvidia sales, perhaps with safeguards, tariffs or limits,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"Placeholder-ArticleBody-Video-108306716\">\n<div role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" id=\"Placeholder-ArticleBody-Video-108306716\" class=\"PlaceHolder-wrapper\" data-vilynx-id=\"7000412891\" data-test=\"VideoPlaceHolder\">\n<div class=\"InlineVideo-videoEmbed\" id=\"InlineVideo-0\" data-test=\"InlineVideo\">\n<div class=\"InlineVideo-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"InlineVideo-inlineThumbnailContainer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"InlineVideo-videoThumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/image.cnbcfm.com\/api\/v1\/image\/108306717-17787285691778728566-45924475101-1080pnbcnews.jpg?v=1778728568&amp;w=750&amp;h=422&amp;vtcrop=y\" alt=\"Trump meets Xi: Can 'board of trade' help reset US-China ties?\"\/><span class=\"InlineVideo-videoButton\"\/><span\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>Other technology executives are also likely to have an eye on market opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The US tech officials aligned with Trump join an all-star list, and their collective aim appears to be to set up a so-called trade board and investment board with China,&#8221; Lauryn Williams, deputy director of the think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNBC, referring to a proposed body to manage trade relations between the countries.<\/p>\n<p>Kyle Chan, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution, told CNBC that Tesla would likely seek full self-driving approval in China. &#8220;Apples and <span class=\"QuoteInBody-quoteNameContainer\" data-test=\"QuoteInBody\" id=\"RegularArticle-QuoteInBody-8\">meta<span class=\"QuoteInBody-inlineButton\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistContainer\" id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\" data-analytics-id=\"-WatchlistDropdown\"><button class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-watchlistButton\" aria-label=\"Add To Watchlist\" data-testid=\"dropdown-btn\"><span class=\"AddToWatchlistButton-addWatchListFromTag\"\/><\/button><\/span><\/span><\/span>    \u201cThey may want to make deals with supply chain partners in China for their consumer products.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tesla, Apple and Meta have been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Apple and Tesla will benefit less from a &#8220;headline breakthrough than a calmer operating environment,&#8221; Crabo-Rediker said, as their performance in China runs through factories, consumers, regulators and competitors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"ArticleBody-subtitle\">vital minerals<\/h2>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>Another area of \u200b\u200bpotential contention is China&#8217;s tremendous control over critical and rare-earth mineral markets. According to the International Energy Agency, Beijing was responsible for 59% of the world&#8217;s rare earth mining and 91% of its refining in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;China&#8217;s export controls on rare earths and magnets are a powerful source of leverage for Beijing,&#8221; Chan said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Trump may ask Xi to grant general licenses to US commercial users to ensure the supply of rare earths,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Even with an agreement on licensing, China&#8217;s control of rare earths will remain a source of potential leverage.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"Placeholder-ArticleBody-Video-108306847\">\n<div role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" id=\"Placeholder-ArticleBody-Video-108306847\" class=\"PlaceHolder-wrapper\" data-vilynx-id=\"7000412916\" data-test=\"VideoPlaceHolder\">\n<div class=\"InlineVideo-videoEmbed\" id=\"InlineVideo-0\" data-test=\"InlineVideo\">\n<div class=\"InlineVideo-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"InlineVideo-inlineThumbnailContainer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"InlineVideo-videoThumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/image.cnbcfm.com\/api\/v1\/image\/108306848-17787562551778756252-45931653432-1080pnbcnews.jpg?v=1778756254&amp;w=750&amp;h=422&amp;vtcrop=y\" alt=\"Treasury Secretary Scott Besant: US can hold AI talks with China because 'we are leading'\"\/><span class=\"InlineVideo-videoButton\"\/><span\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>China&#8217;s hold on critical and rare earth minerals was a major factor in the country&#8217;s retaliation against US tariffs in 2025, before Beijing curbed some exports to the US. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/11\/10\/china-suspends-some-critical-mineral-export-curbs-to-the-us-as-trade-truce-takes-hold.html\">Trade ceasefire comes into effect.<\/p>\n<p>While the critical and rare earth minerals issue remains &#8220;critical,&#8221; there could be an agreement around the U.S. to selectively relax export chip controls in exchange for progress in that area, said Paul Triolo, a partner at U.S. consulting firm Albright Stonebridge Group. But, he said, the &#8220;political climate&#8221; in the US will make it difficult.<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;best-case outcome&#8221; would be an extension of the 2025 trade truce, in which tariffs between the countries were reduced, Crabo-Rediker said. However, even under that ceasefire, China&#8217;s export controls on specific heavy rare earths and magnets were not fully reversed, he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This puts the U.S. administration on the backfoot,&#8221; Crabbe-Rediker told CNBC. \u201cThe United States and its allies cannot outmaneuver, outmaneuver, or outspend China quickly enough to rebuild resilience in the near term.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ArticleBody-googlePreferredSourceContainer\" data-module=\"GooglePreferredSource\" data-id=\"RegularArticle-GooglePreferredSource-5\">Choose CNBC as your favorite source on Google and never miss a moment of the most trusted name in business news.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US President Donald Trump&#8217;s summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping could hinge on two key technical points &#8211; critical minerals and market access for US companies. The much-awaited bilateral meeting between the two countries, which were locked in a tariff standoff a year ago, began on Thursday, with warm talks between the two leaders. The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":137779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[2721,16663,1231,349,7058,17899],"class_list":["post-137774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bible-news","tag-china","tag-hinge","tag-points","tag-talks","tag-technical","tag-trumpxi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137774"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":137780,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137774\/revisions\/137780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}