The U.S. President Donald Trump will make a State visit to China from May 13 to 15, as announced on Monday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Asian giant. A few hours earlier, U.S. Deputy Chief Press Secretary Anna Kelly had revealed that Trump would arrive in Beijing on Wednesday night for what she described as "a visit of enormous symbolic significance".
It will be the first visit of a U.S. president to China in almost nine years, coinciding with the many tensions between the two major superpowers and the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The last visit was also made by Trump, during his first term in 2017. Back then, Beijing staged an imperial choreography for him: a private visit to the Forbidden City, a lavish ceremony in the Great Hall of the People, and a traditional opera performance. Xi wanted to showcase the Republican magnate as a leader seduced by China's historical grandeur.
But that picture belonged to another world. Before the pandemic, before the technological war, before the collapse of the bilateral relationship, and before Washington and Beijing became entangled in a spiral of sanctions, tariffs, and military suspicions.
Now, most analyses agree that Trump returns to Beijing weakened, pressured by the drop in popularity in his country, by the wear and tear of the war with Iran, and by the judicial chaos threatening his tariff policy. Xi, despite internal economic problems, arrives at the meeting in a more solid international position, extending his influence further and selling China as the stable power.
The last time Xi and Trump met face to face was last October in Busan, South Korea, on the sidelines of a regional summit. In that meeting, they extended a trade truce that eased tensions but did not resolve the structural conflict.
The U.S. maintains technological controls aimed at curbing Chinese development in semiconductors and artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, China continues to use its dominance over critical minerals as a tool of strategic pressure.
In the weeks leading up to the Beijing summit, officials from both countries have been discreetly negotiating possible Chinese agricultural purchases, Boeing aircraft orders, and joint statements on artificial intelligence. Both countries announced on Sunday that Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will travel to South Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday to hold trade talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a final round of negotiations.
Welcome ceremony and bilateral meeting
From the White House, it has been detailed that Trump will attend a welcome ceremony and a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping on Thursday. That same day, there will be a banquet, and on Friday, before returning to the U.S., both leaders will hold what Washington has described as a "working lunch."
Deputy Secretary Kelly explained that Trump and Xi would discuss agreements in the aerospace, agricultural, and energy sectors. Both governments were working on creating a Trade Board to "manage the trade of non-sensitive products" and establishing a forum to discuss bilateral investments.
But one of the main topics in the meeting will be the Iran war. As revealed by Trump himself in an interview with Fox Business, both leaders would have exchanged letters about possible Chinese support for Tehran. U.S. media have reported in recent hours that the U.S. President will pressure Xi to "halt China's support for Iran."
Washington suspects that Beijing indirectly facilitates Iranian weaponry through third countries, something China vehemently denies. Meanwhile, the U.S. has sanctioned Chinese companies and refineries linked to the purchase of Iranian oil and has even intercepted vessels related to that trade.
In parallel, the issue of Taiwan, the island that China considers part of its territory but that de facto operates as an independent country, will also be on the table. A few days ago, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that the island represents "the greatest risk" to bilateral relations. Beijing hopes to receive some signal of moderation from Washington.