The Independent67%
Trump-China latest: President thanks ‘friend’ Xi at lavish banquet as he boasts about the number of Chinese restaurants in US 10%
By Shweta Sharma0% Andrew Feinberg0% Alex Croft81%
5/14/2026, 12:25:59 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 27 faulty reasoning types, including Halo Effect, Framing Effect, and Overconfidence Bias, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 18.6% saturation with 178 hits. Analysis detected 1,593 faulty-reasoning hits from 956 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 26.9% and a BS Rank of 10% (15,202 of 16,813 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 90.40% of the article peer group.
During his speech at a lavish state banquet in Beijing, President Donald Trump boasted about the number of Chinese restaurants in the United States, while highlighting the two nations’ shared history.
“Just as many Chinese now love basketball and blue jeans, Chinese restaurants in America today outnumber the five largest fast foods chains in the United States all combined — that’s a pretty big statement,” the Republican president told those gathered at the Great Hall of the People.
In his remarks, delivered shortly after 6pm local time (6am ET, 11am BST), Trump said it is a “great honor” to visit China, adding that he and Xi had “extremely positive and productive conversations.”
He referred to his counterpart as “my friend.”
During his own speech at the podium, Xi described the American president’s visit as “historic.”
He further called on both the U.S. and China to be “partners rather than rivals,” adding, “We must make it work.”
“Achieving the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand,” he said.
Following their meetings earlier Thursday, Xi warned Trump that tensions over Taiwan could lead to an “extremely dangerous situation” in an ominous threat.
The pair were also expected to discuss the ongoing war in Iran and trade relations.
Scott Bessent declines to answer whether Trump would offer concessions on Taiwain
During a Thursday morning interview with CNBC, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declined to provide a direct answer when asked whether President Donald Trump would offer any concessions to China on the issue of Taiwan.
Anchor Joe Kernen asked whether Chinese President Xi Jinping will request that Trump change America’s “longstanding strategic ambiguity” toward the island.
“It wouldn’t be a U.S.-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up,” Bessent said.
“I'm confident that President Trump understands the issues around that and is very resolute in his answers, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from him in the coming days on that.”
When pressed on whether or not Trump is prepared to offer concessions, Bessent demurred.
“I’m not gonna get out ahead of the president,” he said, adding that Trump “understands the issues here.”
'History in motion:' White House posts photo of Trump and Xi
On Thursday morning, the White House posted a black and white photo of Trump and Xi in China.
It was captioned: “History in motion.”
Rubio is with Trump in China — despite being under sanctions
Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined President Donald Trump on his trip to China this week, despite being under sanctions by the Chinese government.
Rubio was slapped with sanctions in 2020 after speaking out about human rights abuses in China.
However, it does not appear to be affecting his ability to visit Beijing – potentially because the Chinese government began using a different character to refer to Rubio last year, before becoming secretary of state
The Chinese government began using “lu” to represent the first syllable in “Rubio” before he entered office.
China said Tuesday it would not block Rubio for his past actions.
“The sanctions target Mr.
Rubio’s words and deeds when he served as a U.S. senator concerning China,” Lin Jiant, the director of China’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs, said in March when asked about the sanctions.
When reached by The Independent, a State Department spokesperson declined to comment.
Trump peppers speech with references to the US and China's shared past
Trump peppered his banquet speech with references to the U.S. and China’s shared past.
He noted that Benjamin Franklin published the sayings of Confucius, and that Chinese admirers of George Washington provided a stone tablet for the Washington Monument.
American travelers to China helped with the proliferation of literacy and modern medicine, and Theodore Roosevelt allocated funds to start Xi’s alma mater, Tsinghua University, he said.
“Just as many Chinese now love basketball and blue jeans, Chinese restaurants in America today outnumber the five largest fast foods chains in the United States all combined — that’s a pretty big statement,” he said.
WATCH: Trump praises America's Chinese restaurants at state banquet
Kremlin says Putin will visit China 'very soon'
As Xi is hosting Trump in Beijing on Thursday, Russian officials announced that President Vladimir Putin would himself visit China “very soon.”
Elon Musk flew to China with Trump despite OpenAI trial judge’s recall warning
Elon Musk flew to China for President Trump’s state visit to the country despite being warned by a judge that he could be recalled for the ongoing OpenAI trial.
The lawsuit filed by Musk alleges that OpenAI, which he co-founded, went against its mission by creating a for-profit arm.
The X owner testified as part of the trial in Oakland, California, last month.
Owen Scott reports...
IN PHOTOS: Trump and his entourage take part in lavish state banquet
Photos show Trump and his entourage taking part in the lavish state banquet in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.
Trump and Xi could meet 4 times this year: report
Trump and Xi could meet as many as four times in the coming year, according to The Associated Press, citing U.S. officials.
The sit-downs could take place at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in China and the Group of 20 gathering in Florida.
Hors d’oeuvres include roast duck and slow-cooked salmon
The hors d’oeuvres being served at the lavish banquet include lobster in tomato soup, Beijing roast duck, crispy beef ribs and slow-cooked salmon in mustard sauce.
Sweeter options include tiramisu and trumpet shell-shaped pastries.
Photos show tables set with gilded silverware — forks, knives and chopsticks — as well as wine glasses and name placards.
Analysis
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