BEIJING: US President Donald Trump received a warm welcome at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Thursday ahead of talks with China’s Xi Jinping that will focus on the fragile trade truce, the war in Iran and US arms sales to Taiwan.
With his approval ratings dented by his involvement in the Middle East, Trump’s highly anticipated trip to China – the first by a US president to America’s main strategic rival since his last visit there in 2017 – has taken on added significance.
He is accompanied by a group of CEOs seeking to resolve issues with China, including Elon Musk and Jensen Huang, a late addition. Trump said his first request to Xi would be to “open” China to American industry.
Opening the two-day summit with great fanfare, Trump was greeted by Xi on the red carpet in front of the imposing ceremonial building, with the leaders shaking hands and smiling warmly.
A marching band played the national anthems before the leaders walked past rows of military honor guards and children waving flowers and American and Chinese flags, with Trump occasionally patting Xi on the back.
The power dynamic has changed
The power dynamic has changed since Trump’s last visit to Beijing, when China did everything it could to gift Trump and buy billions in American goods, said Ali Wyne, senior adviser for U.S.-China relations at the International Crisis Group.
At the time, “China was trying to persuade the United States of its growing status… This time, it’s the United States, of its own accord, recognizing that status,” Wyne said, noting that Trump revived the term “G2,” referring to a superpower duo, during his last meeting with Xi on the sidelines of an APEC meeting in South Korea in October.
This week’s meetings will allow the leaders to spend significant face-to-face time: They are expected to hold talks at the Great Hall of the People, visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site Temple of Heaven, and attend a state banquet on Thursday, before having tea and lunch together on Friday, according to the White House.
Trump enters negotiations with a weakened hand.
U.S. courts have limited its ability to impose tariffs at will on exports from China and other countries. The war in Iran has also boosted inflation at home and increased the risk that Trump’s Republican Party could lose control of one or both legislative branches in November’s midterm elections.
Although China’s economy has faltered, Xi faces no comparable economic or political pressure.
Still, both sides are keen to maintain the trade truce reached last October, in which Trump suspended triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods and Xi backed away from choking off global supplies of rare earths, key to making items from electric cars to weapons.
They are also expected to discuss forums aimed at supporting mutual trade and investment and dialogue on AI-related issues.
Washington is seeking to sell Boeing planes, agricultural products and energy to China to reduce a trade deficit that has long angered Trump, while Beijing wants the United States to ease restrictions on exports of chipmaking equipment and advanced semiconductors, officials involved in the project said.
Aside from trade issues, Trump is expected to encourage China to convince Iran to reach a deal with Washington to end the conflict. But analysts doubt whether Xi would be willing to push Tehran hard or end its military support, given Iran’s value in Beijing’s eyes as a strategic counterweight to the United States.
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 because many of its ships are stuck in the Gulf and a slowdown in the global economy would hurt Chinese exporters.
Focus on US arms sales to Taiwan
For Xi, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China, will be a top priority.
China reiterated its strong opposition to the sales on Wednesday, with the status of a $14 billion package awaiting Trump’s approval still uncertain. The United States is required by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations.
“Trump doesn’t really have a lot of cards to play. But I don’t think he actually sees the situation that way,” said Ronan Fu, an associate researcher at Taiwan’s top government think tank, Academia Sinica.
“I don’t think Trump is just going to let Beijing ask for what it wants and then the United States will make whatever concessions Beijing asks for.”
Xi has tentatively planned a reciprocal visit later this year, which would be his first visit to the United States since Trump took office again in 2025.
