The U.S. and Chinese leaders will meet again over trade leadership and global security issues.
The White House said on the 10th (local time) that U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a summit in Beijing, China, on the 14th (local time). The meeting comes as major challenges pile up, from a tech supremacy race over semiconductors and critical minerals to the Middle East crisis that has escalated into armed clashes. As this is a state visit taking place about nine years after 2017, Trump's first year in office, the world's attention is focused.
According to the White House, President Trump will arrive in Beijing on the evening of the 13th and spend two nights and three days there. Starting with an official welcome ceremony on the morning of the 14th, he will hold a one-on-one meeting with Xi. They will then take a walk together at the Temple of Heaven Park, a major Beijing landmark, and attend a state dinner. Before departing on the 15th, they will also have tea time and a working lunch, meeting face-to-face at least six times over two days. Deputy White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said, "Under President Trump's leadership, U.S.-China relations are refocusing on rebuilding Americans' safety, security, and prosperity."
The biggest topic on the table is expected to be the Iran situation. U.S. forces are currently in armed clashes with Iran and carrying out an operation to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route. The U.S. government suspects China is effectively funding Iran by importing Iranian crude oil on a large scale. On this, a senior U.S. official told the AP that in this meeting, "the president is expected to apply pressure." President Trump also mentioned the Middle East issue at a recent news conference, saying, "That will be one topic."
Measures to resolve trade imbalances and bolster economic cooperation are also expected to be a focus. The two countries agreed to concentrate discussions on creating a trade committee to manage trade in non-sensitive general goods and an investment committee to coordinate capital movement issues. At the same time, agreements for additional purchases of U.S. agricultural products, aerospace equipment, and energy—revisited in the previous tariff agreement—are also expected to take shape. Deputy spokeswoman Kelly emphasized, "President Trump cares about results, not symbolism," and added, "Americans can expect the president to clinch a better transaction for the United States while he is in China."
In addition, tough core issues remain, including Taiwan, controls on exports of advanced technology, and China's weaponization of rare earths. China is expected to press the United States to limit arms sales to Taiwan in the name of stabilizing bilateral relations. The United States, meanwhile, is toying with additional regulatory options to gain an edge in artificial intelligence and cyber security. In the end, major outlets said this summit is likely to be a fierce exploratory battle focused on managing the situation, rather than a dramatic grand bargain, as the two leaders shore up their domestic political standing and seek economic gains.