US President Donald Trump is set to land in Beijing on Wednesday evening local time to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, over the following two days for a high-stakes meeting against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions. The summit between two of the world’s most powerful leaders was originally scheduled for late March. However, the highly anticipated event was postponed due to continued uncertainty surrounding the US’s war with Iran.
Inevitably, the conflict ravaging West Asia looms large over the May 14-15 meeting in China. Yet, this is not the only issue defining the diplomatic agenda that will guide the Trump-Xi summit this week.
Despite thorny dynamics defining the turbulent ties between the countries, the US leader predicted in mid-April that Xi would greet him with a “big, fat hug” upon his arrival in China.
On the contrary, Beijing had already dampened Trump’s high hopes by delaying the visit’s confirmation until Monday. On Wednesday morning, The China Daily again relegated any mention of the US-China meeting to the sidebar of its front page, while a picture of Xi and Tajikistan’s President commanded central attention amid Emomali Rahmon’s four-day state visit, which commenced on Monday.
Regardless of contradictory positions that may emerge from either side, Trump’s China summit indisputably marks for a historic development in the current circumstances. The Republican politician is set to become the first US leader to visit China in nearly a decade. Last such trip to Beijing was undertaken in 2017, that too by Trump himself.
Trump-Xi set to meet amid Iran war
Back in October, Trump and Xi met while Russia waged a war against Ukraine in the background. Now, their forthcoming interaction is set against the backdrop of the crisis in West Asia, which the US and Israel triggered in a joint operation against Iran on February 28.
Before leaving for Beijing, Trump downplayed the differences with the Chinese leader over the Iran conflict and how the issue has cast a dark shadow on global oil supplies. “We’re going to have a long talk about it. I think he’s been relatively good, to be honest with you,” the POTUS told reporters. “We have a lot of things to discuss. I wouldn’t say Iran is one of them, to be honest with you, because we have Iran very much under control.”
When asked if he would push Xi to pressure Iran, Trump said, “I don’t think we need any help with Iran.”
Beijing has publicly emphasised that it is ready to help its ally Pakistan and facilitate a peace deal between the US and Iran. Despite Trump’s latest remarks ahead of his China trip, US State Secretary Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have been keen on China using its influence to help reopen the critical waterway.
Trade complications continue
In the lead-up to the Trump-Xi summit, the trade war between the countries deepened due to the US’s major tariff declaration. With levies on China reaching as high as 145% at one point, Beijing retaliated by banning its rare-earth exports, a move that affected countries across the globe as the Asian nation controls nearly all the mining and processing of rare earths.
After a prolonged tariff battle stretching out for months, the heated exchanges between the US and China found a fragile resting point through a truce reached between the leaders in Busan last October.
Even beyond tariffs and rare earths, US-China trade relations haven’t necessarily seen a positive uptick in other arenas either. Washington and Beijing have long tussled over the sale of US chips from AI giant Nvidia. The US has strictly limited the sale of H200 AI chips to the Asian nation over potential military applications. Meanwhile, Jensen Huang’s Nvidia has been actively urging the Trump admin to reconsider these parameters.
During their October summit, Trump firmly rejected the proposition of Nvidia selling its new and advanced Blackwell AI chip to Beijing. Although the US president approved the sale of other chips to China, Nvidia’s CFO Colette M. Kress stated on an earnings call a few months ago that the company had not yet earned any revenue from chip sales to China.
Huang, Elon Musk, Tim Cook and many other top US executives are expected in China this week as part of Trump’s high-profile business delegation. And so, he has promised to urge Xi to “open up” China to major US tech companies.
On the other hand, Russia’s ongoing Ukraine conflict led Trump to impose sanctions on the purchase of Russian oil. Alongside India, China has maintained its top position as one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil.
With trade at the forefront, White House principal deputy spokesperson Anna Kelly said that Trump and XI are also expected to discuss the creation of a US-China Board of Trade and a US-China Board of Investment. As reported by NBC News, the move would help both governments manage the exchange of non-sensitive goods and lay the foundation for a government-to-government forum on issues related to investments.
Taiwan in the mix
As has already been established, Taiwan is set to be the most crucial talking point during the summit between the world’s two biggest economies.
Officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), the self-ruling democracy that Beijing claims as its territory became a crucial divisive factor, fuelling tensions between the US and China after Trump levied tariffs on both China and Taiwan, simultaneously chasing after an $11 billion arms deal with Taipei despite Beijing’s disapproval and demands for Washington to cease diplomatic contact with Taipei.
Hours before Trump’s expected arrival in Beijing on Wednesday evening, the Chinese capital’s Taiwan Affairs Office reiterated its stance against the island’s independence. “Our resolve to oppose Taiwan independence is as firm as a rock, and our capability to crush Taiwan independence is unbreakable,” it stated, as quoted by Reuters.