France, May 15 -- Trump had arrived in Beijing seeking to seal deals in sectors including agriculture, aviation and artificial intelligence, as well as to contain differences between the two sides on a number of strategic areas - not least the Middle East war.

Trump's overtures to Xi, whom he described as a "great leader" and "friend", have so far been met mutedly by the Chinese leader.

But the US president said "a lot of good" had come out of the visit.

"We've made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries," he said after a walk with Xi among the rosebushes in the gardens of Zhongnanhai, a central leadership compound next to Beijing's Forbidden City.

"We've settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn't hav...