"We spy like hell on them, too," declared US President Donald Trump, who freely admitted that the US conducts massive cyber operations against China.
Trump made these direct comments to reporters on Air Force One on May 15, 2026, during a two-day bilateral summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. When asked if he had confronted Xi about Chinese cyberattacks on US infrastructure, Trump acknowledged that the subject was brought up but presented the espionage as a shared reality.
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The US president said he also told Xi that Washington possessed cyber capabilities China may not even be aware of.
Trump made it clear to Xi that Beijing is totally ignorant of Washington's cyber capabilities. Trump said, "We're doing things to them, I told them, that they don't know about, and you're doing things to us that we probably do know about," according to The Telegraph.
This is Trump's first trip to China in his second time.
Despite the two presidents' frequent compliments, the trip, which was characterised by ornate ceremonies and high-level meetings, did not result in any significant progress on trade conflicts or the current Iran crisis.
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Xi seemed to be concentrated on stabilising long-term relations between Beijing and Washington, while Trump sought quick economic gains and investment announcements. According to reports, the Chinese leader cautioned Trump during the conference that mistreating Taiwan could lead to violence.
Xi reaffirmed Beijing's opposition to Taiwanese independence, Trump subsequently told reporters.
"I listened to him. I said nothing. Trump stated, "I made no commitment either way, and a decision on a pending US arms sale to Taiwan will come later."
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