Donald Trump Boards Air Force One, Concluding China Visit

US President Donald Trump has left Beijing for the United States after high-stakes meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping aimed at addressing the raft of disagreements plaguing relations between the world’s top two economies.

Air Force One took off from Beijing Capital International Airport on Friday afternoon local time after a departure ceremony on the tarmac.

Trump gave a fist pump as he boarded the plane, while people dressed in blue waved US and Chinese flags and cheered.

President Donald Trump’s whirlwind days in China’s capital, featuring a lavish welcome, state banquet, bilateral tea and trips to historic sites, have yet to include announcements of substantive agreements on the issues that plague the US-China relationship.

The biggest takeaway so far may be the apparent friendliness between the two leaders of the world’s most powerful countries — a departure from turbulence of the relationship in recent years.

This warmth was on display again Friday as the two leaders strolled the gardens of Zhongnanhai, China’s equivalent to the White House. Trump admired the roses, and Xi said he would send seeds. Xi said he chose the venue as thanks for when Trump hosted him in Florida.

But despite the personal rapport, relations between the US and China remain deeply strained on a host of issues, from trade and tech rivalries to national security and the Iran war.

President Donald Trump entered a second day of high-stakes talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping focused on the business ahead and what he described as a “very strong” relationship with his counterpart.

Xi, Trump said at the beginning of a bilateral tea, is “a man I respect greatly” who has “become, really, a friend.”

Trump noted that the war with Iran was a topic of discussion and suggested that China, which has close ties with Iran, was in alignment with the US on wanting the conflict to end and wanting the Strait of Hormuz to open.

“We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon,” he said.

The US president also looked ahead to Xi’s upcoming visit to Washington expected later this year.