US President Donald Trump will make a state visit to China from May 13 to 15 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking the first visit to the country by a US president in nearly nine years.
The visit comes amid rising tensions between the world’s two largest economies over trade, technology, Taiwan and China’s ties with Iran. The summit also takes place against the backdrop of the fragile US-Iran ceasefire and continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, which has pushed up global energy prices and raised concerns over economic growth.
According to the White House, Trump is expected to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening. The two leaders are scheduled to hold a working lunch and tea meeting on Friday. The US administration has indicated that Xi may make a reciprocal visit to the United States later this year.
Ahead of Trump’s arrival, both countries confirmed that Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng will meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Seoul on May 12 and 13 for another round of trade negotiations.
China’s commerce ministry said the talks would focus on “economic and trade issues of mutual concern” and would be guided by previous discussions between the two leaders.
The Xi-Trump summit is expected to focus heavily on Iran, Taiwan, artificial intelligence, nuclear weapons and critical minerals.
Tensions have escalated further after the US imposed sanctions on several Chinese and Hong Kong firms, accusing them of supporting Iran’s military activities. In response, Beijing recently invoked its Blocking Rules for the first time, directing Chinese entities to ignore certain US sanctions targeting Chinese oil refineries.
The summit is being closely watched by global markets as investors look for signs of easing tensions between Washington and Beijing at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty.
