As President Trump wraps up a state visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping that yielded no major bilateral agreements, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue mounted a vigorous defense of the engagement, framing the talks as an essential step in managing the fraught superpower relationship.
Speaking on Fox News Channel's "America's Newsroom" Friday, Perdue dismissed the notion that the summit's value could be measured in concrete deliverables. "The old adage of deliverables in a relationship that we have with China is really not measurable in many ways," he said. "In some ways, the best thing that we accomplished in this visit is to continue the conversation."
The ambassador's comments come as several Republican lawmakers voiced sharp displeasure over the red-carpet treatment afforded Xi, including a rare greeting at Joint Base Andrews upon his arrival Wednesday. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) took to the Senate floor to denounce Xi as "a brutal, unelected, and oppressive dictator" and urged Trump to keep that in mind during their discussions.
Pressed by host Bill Hemmer on whether any breakthroughs emerged, Perdue pointed to the establishment of a new "AI dialogue" and a "crisis mechanism" for the rapidly evolving technology. "I believe that that's going to be a platform that we can move forward on," he said, while acknowledging the broader challenges. "This is a very bumpy road we have with China. We're both trying to reach strategic stability, but that doesn't mean status quo in trade or some of these other political areas. AI is one area that we're trying to find a way to cooperate."
The emphasis on AI cooperation stands in contrast to Trump's own public musings, which have often downplayed the risks of advanced artificial intelligence. In a Truth Social post Friday morning, the president called his discussion with Xi "very productive," adding, "Tremendous things will be happening." He also floated renaming AI as "SUPER INTELLIGENCE," a term he said Xi seemed to like, writing, "Everyone last night agreed, also."
Perdue also praised Trump for pressing Xi to curb China's support for Iran amid ongoing U.S. military operations against the country. "President Trump did a great job making sure China knows this is unacceptable," Perdue said. "We've seen some movement over the last month as well, but this isn't the first time President Trump has brought it up with President Xi."
The visit has not been without its tensions behind the scenes. Reports of clashes between Chinese press and U.S. journalists at the White House underscored the prickly atmosphere, while some networks boycotted the official pool before eventually returning for the events. Trump, for his part, accused CNN and MSNBC of skipping coverage, a charge the networks denied.
The summit's long-term impact remains uncertain. As Xi departs, the two sides have yet to resolve fundamental disputes over trade, technology, and regional security. The trade truce extension announced by Treasury Secretary Bessent just before Xi's arrival provided a temporary reprieve, but deeper structural issues persist.
For now, Perdue's message is one of cautious optimism. "We're building a platform," he said, referring to the AI dialogue. Whether that platform can support the weight of the world's most consequential bilateral relationship remains an open question.
