Trade was one of the most contentious issues heading into the Beijing summit between Presidents Trump and Xi. But while the summit generated “good vibes” between the two, it ended with few clear directives, especially regarding trade and tariffs.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Brendan Murray, who leads Bloomberg’s trade coverage, sits down with host Sarah Holder to discuss the trade takeaways from last week’s Beijing summit. Can China’s constructive strategic stability plan, or a proposed US-China trade council, calm the waters? And where does the relationship stand with the prospect of more deals—and new tariffs—on the horizon?

Read more: Trump-Xi ‘Placeholder’ Summit Leaves Room for Tensions to Reignite


Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Brendan Murray; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott.

Fact-checking by Rachael Lewis-Krisky and Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

Trade was one of the most contentious issues heading into the Beijing summit between Presidents Trump and Xi. But while the summit generated &ldquo;good vibes&rdquo; between the two, it ended with few clear directives, especially regarding trade and tariffs.
On today&rsquo;s Big Take podcast, Brendan Murray, who leads Bloomberg&rsquo;s trade coverage, sits down with host Sarah Holder to discuss the trade takeaways from last week&rsquo;s Beijing summit. Can China&rsquo;s constructive strategic stability plan, or a proposed US-China trade council, calm the waters? And where does the relationship stand with the prospect of more deals&mdash;and new tariffs&mdash;on the horizon?
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-05-18/trump-xi-summit-in-beijing">Trump-Xi &lsquo;Placeholder&rsquo; Summit Leaves Room for Tensions to Reignite </a>
Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Brendan Murray; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott.
Fact-checking by Rachael Lewis-Krisky and Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.
Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

The Big Take from Bloomberg News brings you inside what’s shaping the world's economies with the smartest and most informed business reporters around the world. The context you need on the stories that can move markets. Every afternoon.

The Big Take from Bloomberg News brings you inside what’s shaping the world's economies with the smartest and most informed business reporters around the world. The context you need on the stories that can move markets. Every afternoon.

Big Take

The US-China Summit's Trade Hangover

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/e91011cd-9e7c-4876-ac4d-b44e01522bc6/transcript