The bilateral one-on-one+delegation talks between U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping and their respective delegations are now happening inside China’s Great Hall of the People, following the formal welcome ceremony.

Following the bilateral U.S.-China talks in Beijing, China earlier today, the White House has released a statement saying that the two delegations discussed issues such as market access into China, Chinese investment in U.S. industries, drugs, specifically fentanyl, the “free flow” of trade through the Strait of Hormuz, and other key issues.

From its early iterations as a bilateral training event to today’s complex, all-domain exercise, Balikatan continues evolving with the region’s security environment. The exercise has expanded in scale, capability and interoperability, strengthening the alliance between the U.S. and the Armed Forces of the Philippines while integrating like-minded partners. At the opening ceremony for Balikatan 2026 at Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Manila, U.S. and Armed Forces of the Philippines service members stood alongside counterparts from Australia, Canada, France, Japan and New Zealand, underscoring the enduring shoulder-to-shoulder commitment that defines the exercise.

Chinese President: 🇺🇸🇨🇳 We both believe that the China-US relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. We must make it work and never mess it up. Both China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.

John Bolton: Trump calls Xi “King.” He said at the Osaka G20 meeting when they were having a bilateral, “You're the greatest leader of China since Mao Zedong,” which caught everybody a little bit by surprise. But then he said, “In fact, you're the greatest leader in Chinese history.” He thinks he's friends with Xi Jinping and with Vladimir Putin and I will guarantee you that's not how they see Trump. I think they both see him as an easy mark.

.@SecScottBessent on meeting with the Chinese Vice Premier: "We’re going to talk about forming a board of trade for the bilateral trade between the U.S. and China, and we’re going to talk about a board of investment that will be responsible for investment in nonsensitive areas."

BREAKING: President Xi Jinping says the relationship between China and the US is the most important bilateral relationship in the world today, adding that the two sides “must make it work and never mess it up.” 🔴 More on

📍Ensuring steady sailing forward of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations #China# #US# #bilateral# #XiJinping# #DonaldTrump# @SpoxCHN_MaoNing @AmbXieFeng @SpoxCHN_LinJian @xuejianosaka @salahzhang @zhang_heqing @consulat_de @ChenPingMFA @CGMeifangZhang