Trump, Xi to meet in Beijing as Iran war and trade tensions test fragile truce
President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set to meet in Beijing this week for a high-stakes summit shaped by trade tensions, the war in Iran, Taiwan and competition over advanced technology.
The talks begin Thursday and mark the first visit by a U.S. president to Beijing in nearly nine years. Both governments seek to stabilize a relationship that has grown increasingly confrontational, even as each side prepares for a prolonged geopolitical rivalry. Over the past year, the two countries have expanded tariffs, export controls and sanctions.
Why the summit matters now
The meeting unfolds as both sides believe they hold leverage, though neither expects a sweeping breakthrough. The Washington Post noted that Xi Jinping views China’s economy as resilient enough to withstand tensions that might have been destabilizing during Trump’s first term. At the same time, U.S. allies in Asia are reportedly concerned about whether Washington can sustain regional commitments as the war in Iran drains military resources.
The conflict in Iran looms large over the summit. The New York Times reported that Trump intends to press Beijing to help persuade Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, analysts told The Hill that Trump may be at a disadvantage; the U.S. military remains overextended while Beijing has avoided direct responsibility for the crisis. Instead, positioning itself as a neutral observer while Washington bears the political and economic fallout of the conflict.
“The idea of an American president going to a summit with our foremost competitor at a time where he has just experienced, I think, the most catastrophic strategic debacle in recent memory, is going to be a striking moment,” said Suzanne Maloney, vice president and director of the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution.
What each side wants
The agenda is broad, but expectations remain modest. The New York Times reported that the U.S. is emphasizing the “Five B’s”: Boeing, Beef, Beans, Board of Trade and Board of Investment.
To secure these agreements, Trump has invited a delegation of more than a dozen top executives to join him in Beijing, including Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Apple’s Tim Cook and Tesla’s Elon Musk. Financial leaders, including BlackRock’s Larry Fink and Goldman Sachs’s David Solomon, are also expected to participate as the U.S. pushes to create new joint boards for trade and investment.
Beijing will focus on the “Three T’s,” tariffs, technology and Taiwan.
Under this framework, China is expected to push for an extension of the trade truce reached last October in Busan, South Korea. According to The Times, Beijing also seeks a rollback of U.S. support for Taiwan and looser export controls on advanced semiconductors. Trump is expected to raise concerns over artificial intelligence, fentanyl, the South China Sea and the imprisonment of Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier this year.
Both sides are preparing for further conflict if talks stall. The Times separately detailed China’s new “regulatory weapons,” including moves to block U.S. acquisitions of A.I. startups and penalties for firms complying with Western supply-chain shifts. Beijing recently ordered five refineries to defy U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil, invoking a 2021 “blocking measure” as part of its expanding regulatory arsenal.
Why Beijing looks less willing to accommodate Trump
Reports from The Post and The Times suggested Beijing is less inclined to accommodate Trump than in 2017. The Post reported that Xi now believes China is strong enough to resist one-sided concessions. This shift was evident when Beijing imposed export controls on rare earths and refused to let U.S. sanctions dictate terms to its domestic refiners.
The Times added that China is moving toward a more systematic use of legal countermeasures, forcing foreign firms to choose between adhering to U.S. trade rules or Chinese domestic law.
Round out your reading
- Are aliens real? Pentagon’s newly released UFO files suggest the truth is out there.
- A million Americans get this knee surgery every year. But does it work?
- Is the apocalypse now? One man is tracking flights by the rich to find out.
- ‘No Mow May’: A boon for the bees or a well-intended mistake?
- We’re building a new Straight Arrow. Help us shape our future by taking our survey.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
