Following the meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing, US scholars noted that Trump's avoidance of public remarks regarding Taiwan was a positive outcome, preventing any deviation from established US policy. Political scientist Kharis Templeman stated that while Xi reiterated Taiwan as the most critical issue in bilateral relations, the White House statement omitted this. Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul also observed that Trump made no ill-considered concessions on Taiwan, indicating that the fundamental positions of both nations remain unchanged.