BEIJING: US President Donald Trump received a grand welcome at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Thursday ahead of talks with China’s Xi Jinping to cover their fragile trade truce, the Iran war and US arms sales to Taiwan.
With his approval ratings weighed down by his entanglements in the Middle East, Trump’s long-awaited 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.
Along for the ride is a group of CEOs looking to address issues with China, including Elon Musk and Jensen Huang, a late addition. Trump has said his first request to Xi will be to “open up” China to American industry.
Kicking off the pompous two-day summit, Trump was greeted by Xi on the red carpet outside the imposing ceremonial building, where the leaders shook hands and smiled warmly.
A brass band played the national anthems before the leaders strolled 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, as China went out of its way to lavish Trump and buy billions in American goods, said Ali Wyne, senior adviser on US-China relations at the International Crisis Group.
Back then, “China tried to persuade the United States of its rising status… This time, it is the United States, unsolicited, of its own volition, that recognizes that status,” Wyne said, noting that Trump revived the term ‘G2,’ referring to a superpower duo, when he last met Xi on the sidelines of an APEC meeting in South Korea.
This week’s meetings will provide plenty of face time between the leaders: they are scheduled to hold talks in The Great Hall of the People, visit the UNESCO cultural 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 the negotiations with a weakened hand.
US courts have limited his ability to collect tariffs on exports from China and other countries. The Iran war has also boosted inflation at home and escalated the risk of Trump’s Republican Party losing control of one or both legislative branches in the midterm elections in November.
Although the Chinese economy has faltered, Xi does not face comparable economic or political pressure.
Nevertheless, both sides are keen to maintain a trade truce struck last October, in which Trump suspended triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods and Xi backed away from choking off global supplies of rare earths, which are vital to making goods from electric cars to weapons.
They are also expected to discuss forums to support mutual trade and investment and dialogue on AI issues.
Washington looks to sell Boeing planes, agricultural goods and energy to China to reduce a trade deficit that has long vexed Trump, while Beijing wants the United States to ease exports of chip-making equipment and advanced semiconductors, officials involved in the planning said.
Aside from trade issues, Trump is expected to encourage China to convince Iran to strike a deal with Washington to end the conflict. But analysts doubt Xi will be willing to push Tehran hard or end aid to its military, given Iran’s value to Beijing as a strategic counterweight to the United States.
US 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, US arms sales to Taiwan, the democratically-ruled island that China claims, will be a top priority.
China on Wednesday reiterated its strong opposition to the sale, with the status of a $14 billion package awaiting Trump’s approval still unclear. The United States is required by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties.
“Trump doesn’t really have that many cards to play. But I don’t think Trump actually sees the situation that way,” said Ronan Fu, an assistant researcher at Taiwan’s top government think tank Academia Sinica.
“I don’t think Trump is going to basically let Beijing ask for whatever they want and then the United States will make any concession that Beijing requests.”
Xi has a reciprocal visit tentatively scheduled for later this year, which would be his first visit to the United States since Trump took office again in 2025.
