China’s foreign ministry in a statement characterized the meeting as “very successful,” adding, “The two sides proposed a series of constructive plans on how to properly resolve existing differences and problems.”

The political need for some type of truce has increased as both countries begin struggling with signs of economic softening. China’s debt-heavy economy is slowing more than experts expected, while there are areas of emerging weakness in the United States as the effects of Mr. Trump’s tax cuts and spending increases begin to wear off. The trade war has also started to bite American farmers and some manufacturers, while the United States stock market has erased almost all of its 2018 gains amid trade and economic jitters.

But the tough road to a more comprehensive trade deal could be seen in the disparity between the official statements released by the United States and China, with the two documents essentially disagreeing over what was agreed to by Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi.

The United States emphasized the 90-day window it has set for trade talks, while China made no mention of it. And the White House, which has accused China of “stealing” technology from American companies, said that Mr. Xi had agreed to “negotiate immediately on forced technology transfer, intellectual property protection, non-tariff barriers and cyber theft.” The statement from China said only that the two countries would “work together to reach a consensus on trade issues” but did not mention intellectual property.

“The president has been clear that if there is a real deal he’s willing to give some period of time to get this firmly negotiated — that’s the direction he’s given to the team,” Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, said in a telephone interview on Sunday. “On the other hand, if there’s not a real deal, he said he will proceed with the tariffs.”