United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has pulled back the curtain on the private discussions between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump during their landmark summit in Beijing, revealing that Xi issued a formal warning to Trump that ongoing tensions over Taiwan have the potential to jeopardize the entire US-China relationship, while the two leaders also addressed the Iran war, the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, and the case of jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy figure Jimmy Lai.
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Rubio disclosed the details of the bilateral meetings in an interview with NBC News on Thursday, May 14, 2026, following over two hours of formal talks between the two leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Rubio’s presence on Chinese soil was itself a diplomatic feat. The Secretary of State has been under strict Chinese sanctions since 2020, when Beijing blacklisted him for his scathing criticism of the Communist regime’s human rights record during his time as a US Senator. He was widely expected to be treated as persona non grata during Trump’s visit.
However, Chinese officials signalled ahead of the trip that the standing sanctions would not bar Rubio from accompanying the President. Beijing offered a technical loophole, indicating that the restrictions were tied to Rubio’s previous actions as a senator rather than his current role as America’s top diplomat a face-saving arrangement that allowed both sides to avoid a diplomatic disaster.
Trump and Xi’s first day in Beijing began with an elaborate welcome ceremony featuring a red carpet, military honour guards, a marching band, and hundreds of schoolchildren waving American and Chinese flags. The US delegation that arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport on Air Force One on Wednesday, May 13, included Eric and Lara Trump, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People was attended by a high-powered American delegation that also included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Apple CEO Tim Cook.
The leaders then retreated into the Great Hall for their first formal round of bilateral meetings, lasting approximately two hours, where they discussed issues ranging from the war in the Middle East to trade to Taiwan.
The status of Taiwan remains a perennial flashpoint in the US-China relationship. During the closed-door talks, Xi issued a formal warning to Trump, stating that ongoing tensions regarding Taiwan have the potential to jeopardize the entire bilateral relationship.
When asked about the administration’s current stance on Taiwan and what was discussed, Rubio kept his response measured. “Our policies on that have not changed. It’s been pretty consistent across multiple presidential administrations, and remains consistent now,” Rubio told NBC News.
Xi has consistently pledged to bring Taiwan under Chinese control, leaving military action on the table as an option. But Rubio warned that any attempt to take Taiwan by force would be catastrophic.
“There would be repercussions for that, globally, not just in the United States. And we kind of leave it there,” Rubio said.
The discussion between the two leaders focused heavily on the ongoing war with Iran. Trump had been expected to use the summit with Xi to seek a breakthrough on the Iran crisis, which has sent shockwaves through global energy markets.
Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz has effectively paralysed global energy shipping, sending gas prices into a steep climb and hitting consumers worldwide. Trump’s trip to China had originally been postponed by six weeks due to American involvement in the Iran conflict. China has pushed back against US and Israeli strikes that began in late February and has called for a solution to end the military offensive.
Rubio confirmed that the two leaders addressed the Iran crisis during their meeting, but emphasized that the United States was not seeking China’s assistance.
“We are not asking for China’s help. We don’t need their help,” Rubio stated.
On the Strait of Hormuz specifically, Rubio disclosed that the two sides found common ground. “The Chinese side said they are not in favor of militarizing the Straits of Hormuz, and they’re not in favor of a tolling system, and that’s our position,” Rubio said.
Trump gave China credit for helping convince Iran to negotiate with the US for a ceasefire last month. However, Rubio noted that while the United States is not immune to global oil prices, other countries are bearing a heavier burden.
“We are not immune to global oil prices at some point, because we do buy from the global market, but other countries around the world are paying a much higher price. They’ve got to get involved in this as well,” Rubio said.
There was, however, one area of strong positive agreement on the Iran situation. Rubio disclosed that the two leaders were firmly united in their position that Iran should never develop a nuclear weapon.
Notably, China’s own official readout of the meeting, published by the state-run Xinhua news agency, omitted any direct reference to Iran, noting only that the leaders “exchanged views on major international and regional issues including the Middle East situation.”
Rubio confirmed that President Trump advocated for the release of Jimmy Lai during the summit. Lai, a British citizen and media mogul who founded the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, is an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party. China has identified him as the “mastermind” behind the massive pro-democracy protests that swept Hong Kong throughout 2019. He has been imprisoned under Hong Kong’s national security law.
“The President always raises that case and a couple others, and obviously we’ll hope to get a positive response from that,” Rubio said.
When asked whether the United States would provide a home for Lai if he were freed by Chinese authorities, Rubio did not offer a direct answer but expressed flexibility regarding the terms of any potential release. “We’d be open to any arrangement that would work for them, as long as he’s given his freedom,” Rubio stated.
Trump described the talks with Xi as “extremely positive” and invited the Chinese president to visit the United States later this year.
Xi, in his public remarks during the welcome ceremony, said that both countries can “help each other succeed” and “advance the well-being of the whole world.”
The Beijing summit represents a significant diplomatic engagement between the world’s two largest economies at a time of heightened global tension, with the Iran war reshaping energy markets, Taiwan remaining an unresolved strategic flashpoint, and both nations navigating the aftereffects of their trade war. The outcomes of the private discussions revealed by Rubio suggest that while areas of agreement exist particularly on Iran’s nuclear ambitions and opposition to militarising the Strait of Hormuz fundamental disagreements on Taiwan, human rights, and the broader geopolitical order remain firmly in place.
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