Amidst global tensions, including the war in West Asia and trade disputes, US President Donald Trump is set to visit China to discuss critical issues with President Xi Jinping.
Key Points
- President Trump will visit China from May 13-15 to discuss China-US relations and global issues with President Xi Jinping.
- The visit occurs amidst tensions over the war in West Asia, the Strait of Hormuz blockade, and disputes over Taiwan.
- Trade talks are expected, focusing on resolving economic issues and tariffs between the two countries.
- China has flagged Taiwan as a core concern ahead of the meeting, emphasising its importance in China-US relations.
- The Iran war and its impact on energy supplies are expected to be prominent topics during the Trump-Xi meeting.
United States President Donald Trump will travel to China on an official visit from May 13 to 15 at the invitation of Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, a foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Monday.
This will be the first visit to China by a US president in almost nine years.
Trump himself was the last US president to visit China in 2017, during his first term.
Key Discussions During Trump's China Visit
President Xi will have in-depth exchanges of views with President Trump on major issues concerning China-US relations and world peace and development, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a media briefing here.
"Heads-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for China-US relations," he said.
China stands ready to work with the US to expand cooperation and manage differences in the spirit of equality, respect and mutual benefit, and provide more stability and certainty for a transforming and volatile world, he said.
The visit comes amid a prolonged war in West Asia involving the US-Israel and Iran, a crisis over the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz causing a global energy crisis, and increasing tensions between the US and China over a host of issues, including Taiwan.
Symbolic Significance and Planned Events
On Sunday, US Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said Trump would arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening for what she described as a visit of symbolic significance.
According to Kelly, the US leader will attend a welcome ceremony and a bilateral meeting with President Xi on Thursday, followed by a visit to the Temple of Heaven and a state banquet, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
The two leaders will meet again on Friday for a bilateral tea and working lunch, she said, adding that the US planned to host the Chinese leader for a reciprocal visit later this year.
Trade Talks and Economic Expectations
Both sides announced on Sunday that Vice-Premier He Lifeng will travel to South Korea for trade talks with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on May 12 and 13 in the final round of negotiations before Trump's visit.
Trump's visit is taking place amid expectations of a trade deal between the world's two largest economies following steep tariffs imposed by the US president.
The talks would be guided by the important consensus reached between the two heads of state at their meeting in South Korea's Busan last year, and in previous phone calls to address economic and trade issues of mutual concern, a Chinese commerce ministry statement said.
Taiwan as a Core Concern
Ahead of Trump's visit, China has been flagging Taiwan as its core concern.
Last week, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during their telephone talks, that the US should make the right choice about the self-ruled Taiwan.
China claims Taiwan as part of its own and has been ramping up military pressure on the island with periodic military drills around the island.
"The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests and the bedrock of the political foundation of China-US relations," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian at a media briefing on Thursday.
The US officially recognises Beijing as the sole legal government of China but opposes any unilateral change to the status quo, and maintains informal ties and defence support for Taiwan.
Iran War and Economic Issues
The Iran war - besides a number of economic issues including tariffs, AI chip regulation and critical minerals - is expected to figure prominently in the Trump-Xi meeting.
China is a key buyer of Iranian oil and has opposed the US blockade of Iranian ports, which affected its energy supplies.
Differing Perspectives on the Meeting
It seems that Trump is much more keen to have this meeting rather than Xi, said Bert Hoffman, former World Bank country director for China.
"And that's in part because he is uncomfortable in his position, not just because of the Iran war, but also because his tariff policies are basically being thrown out by the court," he said.
In a major ruling in February, the US Supreme Court struck down steep tariffs imposed by Trump, holding that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not authorise the president to unilaterally impose such duties.
On the contrary, Hoffman said that President Xi seems to be relatively comfortable as Chinese exports are doing well despite tariff issues with the US. "China's exports are still doing very well. Imports and domestic demand are not doing so well, and that is of concern," Hoffman told the BBC.
He also said China wants to see the Iran war ended because it has many partners in the region, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait. "So they don't like to see wars, they like to have stability," he said.
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