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Landmark Xi-Trump summit marks positive signal for bilateral ties: Malaysian expert

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Landmark Xi-Trump summit marks positive signal for bilateral ties: Malaysian expert

2026-05-16 06:10 Last Updated At:07:17

The landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump will hopefully have a positive influence on global stability and encouraging greater international cooperation, according to a Malaysian analyst.

Trump on Friday concluded a three-day state visit to China at the invitation of Xi, which marked the first such U.S. presidential visit in nine years.

In a meeting closely watched by the world, Xi and Trump held talks on Thursday in which they agreed on a new vision of building a constructive bilateral relationship of strategic stability.

Bunn Nagara, a senior fellow at the Belt and Road Caucus for Asia Pacific in Kuala Lumpur, said in an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) that he is optimistic that the meeting sends out a good signal for improving bilateral relations and enhancing ties across multiple fields.

"Now we see quite clearly that both countries want to go really well together, to be partners, and I think that bodes well for everyone. There are no outstanding challenges to improving economic relations and bilateral relations generally. So I think the future is all for the good, because the rest of the world really want them to come together," Nagara said.

"I think everyone else would like to see an all-round improvement in terms of diplomacy, as well as trade, economics. It's a bit too early to go into the details, but I think we can expect these to emerge in the public sphere once Trump and his delegation get back to the U.S. It's all very encouraging, obviously. That means the improving relations between these two countries all round, diplomatically, economically, in every other way, encourages all other countries to actually be more reasonable with one another," he said.

Landmark Xi-Trump summit marks positive signal for bilateral ties: Malaysian expert

Landmark Xi-Trump summit marks positive signal for bilateral ties: Malaysian expert

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 45-day extension of their ceasefire that took effect last month, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department said Friday.

"The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress," State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said on X.

Israel and Lebanon will resume political negotiations at the U.S. State Department on June 2-3, while their military delegates are set to launch parallel security talks at the Pentagon on May 29, Piggott said.

The two countries held their third round of direct talks in Washington D.C. on Thursday and Friday, which Piggott described as "highly-productive."

Despite the ceasefire, clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon have continued. Israeli strikes killed at least nine people and wounded dozens in southern Lebanon on Friday, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.

Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli drones, troops, military bulldozers, and a Merkava tank in several areas of southern Lebanon.

Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center said that Israeli attacks between March 2 and May 15 killed 2,951 people and wounded 8,988 others.

Israel, Lebanon to extend ceasefire for 45 days: U.S. State Department

Israel, Lebanon to extend ceasefire for 45 days: U.S. State Department

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