China stocks choppy, yuan weakens as investors await clarity on Trump-Xi talks

China stocks choppy, yuan weakens as investors await clarity on Trump-Xi talks
A Chinese Yuan banknote is seen in front of displayed stock graph in this illustration taken 7 May, 2021
Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

China stocks wavered in morning trade on Friday, with investors cautious heading into the last day of a high-stakes summit between U.S. and China's President, which has delivered a few deals so far.

China’s blue-chip and the Shanghai Composite rose slightly after dipping more than 0.5% respectively in morning trade, easing further away from their recent peaks. Hong Kong’s benchmark fell more than 1%.

The two leaders are scheduled to have tea and lunch on Friday before Trump flies back to the United States.

Traders are closely watching for any positive signals from the meeting, including a potential easing of tariffs.

Trump told Fox News Channel that China has agreed to buy 200 Boeing jets, a number that was far fewer than analysts had expected.

Aviation stocks led the decline in morning trade, down more than 2%.

Chip stocks, meanwhile surged 8% after China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) says foreign clients shifting orders back to China.

Trade truce uncertainty and policy remarks

It was undecided whether the trade truce will be extended after it expires later this year, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Bloomberg TV on Friday.

Xi told ​Trump on Thursday that negotiations on trade issues had reached "balanced and positive outcomes", without elaborating.

"I think we were optimistically looking at the meeting and maybe half expecting some huge trade agreement to be proposed or announced and from that view, it has disappointed," said Nick Twidale, Chief Market analyst at ATFX Global.

During a state banquet on Thursday, Trump ​invited President Xi to ​the White House ​for ​a visit on ‌24 September.

It was more about resuming and promoting high-level communication, reducing near-term uncertainty, and setting clearer boundaries for competition, he added.

President Donald Trump talks with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound, in Beijing, China,15 May, 2026.
Currency moves and yuan performance

China's yuan maintained its strength as the Trump-Xi meeting was underway. The currency hit a three-year high against the dollar in the previous session.

The yuan retreated slightly after the People's Bank of China set the midpoint rate at 6.8415 per dollar, 439 pips weaker than a Reuters' estimate.

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