U.S. President Donald Trump praised China’s Xi Jinping as “a great leader” and “a friend” as the two began two days of talks on Thursday focused on their fragile trade truce, the Iran war, and U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
With his approval ratings weakened by growing U.S. involvement in the Middle East, Trump’s closely watched visit to China, the first by a U.S. president to Washington’s main strategic rival since his 2017 trip, has gained added political and diplomatic significance.
Joining him on the trip are a group of CEOs looking to resolve issues with China, including Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, a late addition. Trump has said his first request to Xi will be to “open up” China to U.S. industry.
The summit began at Beijing’s imposing Great Hall of the People where Xi greeted Trump on the red carpet, with the leaders shaking hands and smiling warmly.
Chinese troops goose-stepped to revolutionary anthems in front of the visiting U.S. president, while schoolchildren waving American and Chinese flags cheered as the two leaders strolled past, Trump occasionally patting Xi on the back.
Power Dynamics Have Shifted
The power dynamic has shifted since Trump’s last visit to Beijing when China went out of its way to lavish Trump and buy billions in U.S. goods, said Ali Wyne, senior adviser for U.S.-China relations at International Crisis Group.
This week’s meetings will provide plenty of face time between the leaders: after their talks at the Great Hall, they will tour the UNESCO heritage site Temple of Heaven and attend a state banquet on Thursday, before taking tea and lunch together on Friday, according to the White House.
U.S. courts have limited Trump’s ability to impose tariffs on Chinese and other imports, while the Iran war has fueled inflation and increased the risk of Republican losses in November’s midterm elections.
Still, both sides are keen to preserve the trade truce reached last October, under which Trump paused steep tariffs and China eased restrictions on rare earth exports.
Talks are also expected to cover trade, AI cooperation, and U.S. exports of Boeing planes, agriculture, and energy, while Beijing seeks looser U.S. curbs on advanced chips. Trump is also expected to urge China to push Iran toward a deal with Washington, though analysts doubt Xi will pressure Tehran significantly.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News aboard Air Force One that it was in China’s interest to help resolve the crisis as many of its ships are stuck in the Gulf and a slowdown in the global economy would hurt Chinese exporters.
Us Arms Sales To Taiwan In Focus
For Xi, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China, will be a top priority.
China reiterated on Wednesday its strong opposition to the sales, with the status of a $14-billion package awaiting Trump’s approval still unclear. The U.S. is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties.
Xi has a reciprocal visit tentatively planned for later this year, which would be his first visit to the United States since Trump re-took office in 2025.
(With inputs from Reuters)
