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Trump Departs Beijing After Summit With Xi Jinping; Trump Reiterates U.S. Must Retrieve Iran's Nuclear Material; Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham Seeking Labour Party Permission To Stand For Parliament Seat. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired May 15, 2026 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[04:00:36]

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London.

Here's what we have ahead. President Trump is heading back to the U.S. after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. We have a live report for you from Beijing on what was accomplished.

High on the agenda for both leaders, the war in Iran. We're live in the Gulf with how the region is responding to the latest statements.

And here in London, there is upheaval in Parliament. What we know about how a recent departure could impact the Prime Minister's party.

It is 4:00 p.m. in Beijing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from London, this is CNN Newsroom with Salma Abdelaziz.

ABDELAZIZ: It is 4:00 p.m. in Beijing where U.S. President Donald Trump has left the Chinese capital after his two-day summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Air Force One will fly to Alaska for a refueling stop before heading back to Washington, D.C. later tonight.

Now, the two leaders met today at the Chinese Communist Party headquarters in Beijing with the talks going longer than expected. Now, President Trump says he made a lot of trade deals for both countries. They did not mention Taiwan, which has been a thorny issue, of course, for both sides.

The Chinese leader saying on Thursday that it could be very dangerous if it wasn't handled properly. And here is what President Trump said about the war with Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We did discuss Iran. We feel very similar. We want that to end. We don't want them to have a nuclear weapon. We want the straits open. We're closing it now. They closed it, then we closed it on top of them. But we want the straits open and we want them to get it ended.

It's an honor to be here. We'll be back and I believe on September 24th or thereabouts, President Xi is going to be coming to the United States and we will be reciprocal, like reciprocal trade. The visit will be reciprocal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Let's bring in CNN's Beijing Bureau Chief, Steven Jiang. Beyond the pomp and the pageantry that we've seen there, what concrete details could actually emerge from this summit between the U.S. and China?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Salma, I think that is still a multi-billion question that we're waiting to hear more details about and the President and his team, of course, have been dropping a lot of hints in the past hours in terms of how, with the President saying the Chinese have agreed to buy 200 Boeing jets and his trade representative touting this so-called double-digit billion agricultural purchase from China.

But, you know, in a way, this is the easy part because the Chinese never has problems in terms of working out this kind of money to placate the President and his team, at least in the short term, so they could buy more time to address their strategic vulnerabilities, especially on the technology front.

Which, by the way, is interesting. We haven't heard much about the tech discussions during the trip, even though going into the summit, a lot of people think A.I. governance is one of the few areas both sides actually could have common interest or mutual benefit, especially with the heavy presence of tech CEOs on that high-caliber business delegation the President has brought along.

But one tangible result coming out of this, I think a lot of people agree, is with the President, Trump actually saying more than once, inviting President Xi and his wife to visit the White House in September, and then you consider the Chinese are also hosting a leadership summit of AIPAC leaders in November.

Already we're looking at potentially two more face-to-face meetings between the two men just this year. This is important because for a long time, analysts have said that this relationship has lacked a durable stabilizer, and now with this structured and regularized summit track, this could become exactly that. And the Chinese have said in their own words this is a new chapter, a repositioning of this relationship.

Xi Jinping calls this constructive strategic stability. It's quite a mouthful, but it's important for them because it's not only them acknowledging the rivalry part of the relationship, but it's also them saying that we understand there is competition, but we want to make sure that's moderate and all the differences can be managed as well. Salma?

[04:05:00] ABDELAZIZ: Thank you, Steven, for breaking down that summit. Very helpful. Thank you.

Now joining me from London is Professor Steve Tsang. He's the director of the SOAS China Institute and author of China's Global Strategy under Xi Jinping. First of all, thank you so much for joining us. Good morning.

STEVE TSANG, DIRECTOR, SOAS CHINA INSTITUTE: Good morning.

ABDELAZIZ: Now you heard there from our colleague that this is being billed, of course, as a new era in relations, that this is an opportunity to reposition the relationship. Is that actually taking place? Are they resetting this relationship between China and the United States? And what are the new terms?

TSANG: Well, this is a really good question because I think we are looking at the relationship being moved to a different phase of development. It's a development, a stage when the Chinese are setting the parameters rather than having the Americans set the parameters for that relationship.

Xi Jinping started the summit by underlining the importance of Taiwan to China, effectively saying that we can have peace, but on my terms. And the President of the United States did not push back. He did not say anything on the matter.

And then we have also a situation where there's probably almost certainly going to be a trade deal of some sort to be announced later, but not announced at the time or before President Trump leaves China. So there is a limit to how much faith, as the Chinese would say, that were being given by the Chinese president to the President of the United States.

So it creates an image that China is now the more influential partner in this relationship.

ABDELAZIZ: You're talking a lot about theatrics and the imagery that the possibility is that a deal could be announced after President Trump leaves the country, which he just has done so. But there was also a lot of acknowledgement of the competitiveness between the two nations. Is it actually possible for the U.S. and China to be friendly rivals?

TSANG: Well, if we are looking at it in structural terms, no. The competition is real and it is structural. The United States is the global hegemon. China would like to be acknowledged as the single most important leading country in the world. And the United States is not going to concede that easily.

But in terms of the relationship between President Trump and President Xi, then we're talking about something very different. We're talking about a situation where the sitting U.S. President has strong personal admiration for the Chinese leader, even though the Chinese leader does not quite reciprocate the same feeling towards the sitting U.S. President. ABDELAZIZ: You're talking a lot about the personal relationship here, of course, between President Trump and President Xi. And it was interesting to see President Trump strike this very conciliatory, very warm tone, which is not always what we've heard and seen from him when it comes to China. Does this mean that the tariff wars are over?

TSANG: Well, I think the tariff war is being suspended and it will continue to be suspended, probably for quite a long time, at least until the United States feels confident that it can re-engage and has the upper hand. The Chinese chokehold over rare earth is having a very significant deterrence effect on Trump.

But the second thing is, of course, how well will President Trump draw his lessons from his visits in China? It's one thing to present a public image that the summit was a great success. Does he fully recognize that he has not been given the level of recognition and friendship that he had offered to China, and that was simply not reciprocated? And therefore, he may not feel quite so positive about Xi Jinping after the event. But we don't know that. President Trump is not exactly a predictable leader.

ABDELAZIZ: Professor Tsang, thank you so much for breaking down the theatrics of that summit for us.

President Trump is renewing his call for Iran to give the U.S. its stockpile of enriched uranium. He suggested it's a top priority, even though he does not believe it's necessary, except, "From a public relations standpoint." He warned that the U.S. is closely monitoring Iran's nuclear sites in any efforts to extract the material, which he referred to as nuclear dust.

[04:10:01]

We go live now to CNN's Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi to break down all of this for us. Paula, just give me the latest there.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Salma, you know that one country that would have been watching what was happening in Beijing very closely was, of course, Iran, trying to glean any information as to what was discussed between these two leaders.

Clearly, Iran would have been discussed. We've seen some White House readouts suggesting, and also from the U.S. President, suggesting that the two leaders have some similar ideas when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz needing to be open and what we've heard from the U.S. side, that China also agrees that Iran should never have a nuclear weapon.

Now, China is a very close partner of Iran's. We know that they are the number one purchaser of Iranian oil, and they have in the past suggested that they could play a part in trying to secure a peace deal between the two. Now, we heard the U.S. President when speaking to "Fox News" talking about what he believes Xi has offered. Let's listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: President Xi would like to see a deal made. He would like to see a deal made. And he did offer, he said, if I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He did say that.

TRUMP: Yes, he did say that. And look, anybody that buys that much oil has obviously got some kind of a relationship with him. But he said, I would love to be of help. If I could be of any help whatsoever, he'd like to see the Hormuz Strait open. He said, if I could be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, what we're hearing from the U.S. side as well is that China wants to make sure there is no militarization of the Strait of Hormuz. What we're hearing from Beijing has far fewer details on this topic at this point. We did hear, though, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson in Beijing. I want to read you part of that statement saying, "This war, which should never have happened, has no need to continue. Finding an early path to resolution would benefit both the U.S. and Iran, as well as countries in the region and the world as a whole."

The statement went on to say that now that a ceasefire has allowed negotiations to start, that that door should not be closed and maritime routes should be completely open. Now, we did hear also from Iran when talking about the Strait of Hormuz, saying that they say since Wednesday evening, we're now Friday lunchtime here in the region, that some 30 ships have crossed through the Strait of Hormuz, also saying that many of them were Chinese vessels.

So clearly this is an issue that would have been talked about closely by both the U.S. and China. What we're hearing from Beijing at this point, though, is very limited information, although we do know that both sides do want the Strait of Hormuz to be open for there to be no tolls and no militarization. Salma?

ABDELAZIZ: Paula Hancocks there giving us the latest on the stalemate on the Strait of Hormuz. Thank you so much.

There is much more to come on CNN, including growing questions about the leadership of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after big Labour Party losses in recent elections.

[04:13:29]

Plus, we'll go live to Beijing again to get an assessment of President Trump's summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. You're watching CNN Newsroom live from London.

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ABDELAZIZ: The U.K.'s health secretary has stepped down, citing a lack of confidence in Prime Minister Keir Starmer's leadership. In his resignation letter, Wes Streeting said he believed continuing to work for the government would be, "Dishonourable and unprincipled." He cited Labour losses in recent elections in England, Scotland and Wales, which, as he put it, left nationalists in power in every corner. He said that could ultimately threaten the break-up of the U.K.

Some speculate that Streeting might challenge Mr. Starmer for leadership of the Labour Party. And Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham may also be aiming for the top spot. He's also seeking permission from the Labour Party to stand for a seat in Parliament, a prerequisite for joining the leadership race.

Joining me now is CNN Business and Economics reporter Anna Cooban. She is live from Downing Street. Just start by talking to me about this very drawn-out wait for a potential leadership challenge. What needs to take place for a contest to actually be triggered here, Anna?

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: Well, Salma, what's happened is we've seen an MP, Josh Simons, from part of north of England, step back from his seat to basically give Andy Burnham free rein to become a member of Parliament in what's called a bi-election. Now that is needed. He needs to be an MP in order to challenge Keir Starmer in a leadership role race. And what many people are saying is that this, this isn't a slam dunk.

Despite the fact that Burnham is very popular, he's been the mayor of Manchester for three consecutive terms, he's also presiding over the fastest growing city economy, very popular in this part of the country. It's still not a slam dunk because as we saw last week, reform, the hard right party came out on top in the local elections which are voted for local councils.

And so many people are saying, you know, can Burnham even win this election MP seat? But many people believe that he is the man for the job. And fundamentally, Salma, stepping back from all of this, many people are saying that he is the man that could potentially, because he's so popular, potentially beat the hard right reform Party in a general election in 2029.

ABDELAZIZ: So talk to me. You've brought up, of course, Andy Burnham. There are other options though here. Who is vying for the top job and who has a real chance?

COOBAN: Well, we have no confirmations yet, but some of the rumored challenges are the former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. She had to step down in September over a controversy around not paying enough tax on a second property. But she's still, her name is still being put forward. We've also got Wes Streeting himself. He hasn't said he's going to run, but he is on the right side of this center left party. And of course, Andy Burnham, these are the three big names that are being proffered as potential challenges.

[04:20:13]

But what Keir Starmer has repeatedly said is that this country does not need the so-called chaos of another leadership race. To put this into context, the successor of Starmer, if there is one, will be the sixth Prime Minister of the U.K. in seven years. There was a revolving door of leadership challenges, of new Prime Ministers in the former Conservative government, and he believes that stability is what this country needs right now. Salma?

ABDELAZIZ: Anna Cooban at Downing Street, thank you so much for that breakdown.

Now staying in London, let's bring in Quentin Peel, former foreign editor with the Financial Times. Good morning. Thank you so much for being on with us today. Are we tipping into a full blown labor civil war here? What's going on inside the party and how did it get this bad?

QUENTIN PEEL, FORMER FOREIGN EDITOR, FINANCIAL TIMES: Well, it certainly looks very uncomfortable and it certainly looks as if Keir Starmer's days are numbered, but it's going to be quite a lot of counting before we get there. The situation's got this bad because they had a hell of a bad result in the local elections last week where they lost a whole raft of seats both to the Reform Party on the right and the Green Party on the left. So they got squeezed both ways and it looked really bad for Keir Starmer.

And I think the trouble is that he's been sort of lacking in dynamism and leadership for a long time. He's not really a sparky political figure. And I think that's the problem for the party. They're desperate to find a leader who can see off these upstarts in reform and in the Greens and actually hang on to power because after all, they have a huge majority in Parliament. So it's a very weird situation where we're just waiting.

ABDELAZIZ: Not a sparky political figure, as you said, but he's often been seen as a mediator, as a conciliatory figure maybe. Could he persuade his challengers to stand down? Could he patch, patch this up? Could he calm down these fires?

PEEL: Well, he's had a go already. He had a big speech, much trailed earlier this week, which really went off like a flat balloon. So it didn't make any difference. And I think that is the problem I fear for Keir Starmer's sake that it's probably too late. But he is a conciliatory figure. He's just not a very political figure.

And I think of the candidates who are sort of milling around now, the one who's most likely to have the a popular choice, I think, is Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester. But he's got a hell of a battle to actually win a seat in Parliament, given the current political climate.

ABDELAZIZ: And I know many people are bringing this up, but bigger picture here. Britain has had five Prime Ministers in about seven years. You're looking at the possibility of a sixth. Is all of this political instability what's best for the country? And would that be part of the party's consideration?

PEEL: Yes, that's exactly the argument that Keir Starmer and his allies are making, is that the last thing we need is to have a leadership battle and a change of Prime Minister yet again. I mean, the truth is that this country has been in political turmoil for the last 10 years, ever since this decision to leave the European Union, the Brexit decision, was made.

And the irony of the present situation is that we have the party that was really most passionate about Brexit, the Reform Party, led by Nigel Farage, is still riding quite high in the polls, even though the decision to leave the European Union is now regarded by a clear majority of the population as having been a crazy decision and one that people would like to reverse.

ABDELAZIZ: I know we talked a little bit about Andy Burnham and there's a lot of steps before a leadership contest is triggered or before he becomes a really viable candidate in that contest. But you described the Prime Minister as not sparky. I remember interviewing Burnham a few years ago and he is very sparky. Could he get the backing?

PEEL: Yes, I think he could. I think that he has got the popular touch. He's a very popular mayor in Manchester and has done a pretty good job there. He is slightly all things to all people. He's seen as a sort of soft left member of the Labour Party, whereas Wes Streeting is seen as a sort of soft right member of the Labour Party. I think it'll end up being a battle between those two, but you never know. There could be other candidates or Keir Starmer could just refuse to quit and maybe that's the vote that people will go for.

[04:25:14]

But they don't want more turmoil. They actually want to calm things down because the state of the world today, both in Iran, in the world economy, everything else looks more really worrying. Not the moment for a great domestic upheaval.

ABDELAZIZ: Quentin Peel in London, thank you so much for breaking down yet more turmoil at 10 Downing Street.

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping summit in Beijing has ended how American voters may have impacted Trump's negotiations with Xi. That's ahead.

Plus, the United States top spy chief meets with Cuban officials in Havana. After the break, the latest on the tensions between the U.S. and Cuba.

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ABDELAZIZ: U.S. President Donald Trump is flying home after wrapping up his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He boarded Air Force One just about two hours ago after a longer than expected working lunch at Communist Party headquarters in Beijing. President Trump says he and the Chinese leader agreed Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and should reopen the Strait of Hormuz. President Xi emphasized the importance of Taiwan, saying the issue could lead to conflict if it is not handled properly. Here is what President Trump had to say about President Xi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) [04:29:53]

TRUMP: He's a man I respect greatly, become really a friend. We've known each other now 11 years, almost 12 years. That's a long time. And we've settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn't have been able to settle. And the relationship is a very strong one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)