President Donald Trump is wheels up from Beijing en route to Washington after a whirlwind trip to visit Chinese President Xi Jinping, where he boasted that ‘fantastic trade deals’ were made. 

Angling to find common ground on trade, tariffs, Tehran and Taiwan, Trump is leaving with little to announce on the latter fronts.

Taiwan wasn’t mentioned by the President throughout the entirety of the trip and how China could help with the Iran war is yet to be seen. 

Still, his several meetings and tours with the Chinese President provided Trump with ample opportunity to level with Xi.

Trump lavished praise on his ‘friend’ Xi, calling him ‘a great leader.’ But Xi ‘very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation,’ Trump said, adding that the Chinese President was not talking about his tenure, but that of his predecessor, President Joe Biden.

‘He was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, and on that score, he was 100 percent correct,’ Trump said in his only social media post on the Beijing trip. 

It’s not clear if Xi made the dig publicly or privately at one of the events this week, but at the top of his remarks Thursday the Chinese leader mused whether the US and China could avoid the ‘Thucydides trap,’ a theory that war could result when tensions arise between a rising power and a ruling power. 

The Chinese leader struck a much less positive tone – noting in a readout ‘I have agreed with President Trump on a new vision of building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability.’

President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he departs Beijing for the United States after spending just under two days on the ground in China meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping amid the Iran war

President Donald Trump (right) shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping (left) at the conclusion of his visit to Beijing. His final day was spent at Zhongnanhai, the Chinese Communist Party headquarters 

‘The two countries should expand exchanges and cooperation in areas such as the economy and trade, health, agriculture, tourism, people-to-people ties and law enforcement,’ Xi added.

Looming over both countries is the ‘Taiwan question’ – regarding China’s claim that Taiwan is Chinese territory and the US’s position that Taiwan is independent. 

Xi said that is the ‘most important issue in China-U.S. relations,’ that could lead to ‘clashes and even conflict’ if handled improperly.

‘The U.S. side must exercise extra caution in handling the Taiwan question,’ Xi said. Complicating that matter is an $11 billion weapons package, the largest ever arms sale, for Taiwan that Trump approved in December. Though it has been approved, the weapons have yet to be delivered.

Trump did not address Taiwan during the visit – even when pressed on the matter when making a stop on Thursday to the Temple of Heaven. Instead, Trump pivoted and noted China’s beauty. 

His team did not address Taiwan at all in any readouts during the visit.

And Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity did not ask Trump about Taiwan during their Thursday sit-down, which aired Thursday night in the United States.  

On the economic front, Xi stated that China’s door ‘will only open wider’ to US businesses. Trump was joined on the trip by 17 US CEOs that are keen on expanding business in China.

President Donald Trump (left) gives a thumbs up alongside Chinese leader Xi Jinping (right) during a tour of the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing on Friday 

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and President Donald Trump walk through the Zhongnanhai Garden on Friday, the last day of Trump’s visit to Beijing 

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) gestures as he gives President Donald Trump (left) a tour of the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing on Friday, shortly before Trump departed for the United States

President Donald Trump (left) said in brief remarks to the press alongside Chinese leader Xi Jinping (right) that the two were in agreement on a number of issues regarding Iran 

Making good on that promise, China announced that it would purchase 200 new planes from Boeing, though it was far less than the expected 500 aircraft deal that had reportedly been under consideration.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer noted on Friday that he expects to ‘see an agreement for double-digit billion purchases of [agriculture products] over the next three years per year ​coming out of this visit.’

Trump later affirmed that some deals have been reached, though he did not elaborate on their scope or size.

‘We’ve made some fantastic trade deals, really for both countries,’ Trump said.

Trump and Xi’s personal rapport was on full display throughout the trip. 

The US President marveled at the elaborate welcome ceremony where Chinese soldiers marched in perfect unison and school children waved flags, jumping for joy when Xi and Trump drew near. Trump was impressed with the children.

On Friday, Trump was invited to the extremely exclusive Zhongnanhai enclave where many of China’s top leaders live and work, the seat of the Chinese Communist Party.

‘These are the most beautiful roses anyone’s ever seen. I asked the President: “could you get me some for the Rose Garden,” and he said yes. I’ve never seen roses so big,’ Trump said. 

President Donald Trump (center) shakes hands with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi before boarding Air Force One as he departed Beijing Friday afternoon 

Chinese youth perform as President Donald Trump walked on board Air Force One at Beijing Capital International Airport on Friday as he concluded his trip to China 

Air Force One carrying President Donald Trump can be seen taking off from the Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing on Friday. Trump will return to Washington, DC Friday night 

During that stop, Trump noted that progress was made on China-US discussions on the Iran war.

‘We did discuss Iran,’ Trump told reporters. ‘We feel very similar about (how) we want it to end. We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon. We want the straits open.’

As Iran’s largest oil customer, China has closer ties with Tehran than the US and has a vested interest in ending the war and US blockade on Iranian goods.

‘I just want to thank President Xi and all of his representatives, we’re friends with all of them,’ Trump said.

‘And we’ll be back, and I believe on September 24th or thereabouts President Xi’s going to be coming to the United States and we will be reciprocal, like reciprocal trade the visit will be reciprocal.’

‘I wanna end by saying thank you very much. It’s been really a great couple of days.’