BEIJING, May 14 — US President Donald Trump called China’s Xi Jinping a great leader and a friend as they kicked off two days of talks today set to cover their fragile trade truce, the Iran war and US arms sales to Taiwan.
With his approval ratings dented by his entanglement in the West Asia conflict, 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.
Joining him on the trip are a group of chief executives looking to resolve issues with China, including Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, a late addition. Trump has said his first request to Xi will be to “open up” China to US industry.
The pomp-filled summit began at Beijing’s imposing Great Hall of the People, where Xi greeted Trump on the red carpet, with the leaders shaking hands and smiling warmly.
Chinese troops goose-stepped to revolutionary anthems in front of the visiting US president, while schoolchildren waving American and Chinese flags cheered as the two leaders strolled past, with Trump occasionally patting Xi on the back.
“You’re a great leader, sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway,” Trump told Xi as they sat across from each other, flanked by their delegations.
“There are those who say this may be the biggest summit ever. It’s an honour to be with you. It’s an honour to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the US is going to be better than ever before,” Trump said.
Xi told Trump: “Each country’s success represents an opportunity for the other, and a stable China–US relationship benefits the entire world. When we cooperate, both sides benefit; when we confront each other, both sides suffer.”
Power dynamics have shifted
The power dynamic has shifted since Trump’s last visit to Beijing, when China went out of its way to lavish Trump and buy billions of dollars in US goods, said Ali Wyne, senior adviser for US-China relations at International Crisis Group.
Back then, “China was trying to persuade the United States of its growing status. This time around, it’s the United States, unprompted and of its own volition, acknowledging 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 in October.
This week’s meetings will provide extensive face time between the leaders. After their talks at the Great Hall, they will tour the UNESCO heritage site Temple of Heaven and attend a state banquet later today, before taking tea and lunch together tomorrow, according to the White House.
Trump enters the talks with a weakened hand.
US courts have restricted his ability to impose tariffs at will on exports from China and other countries. The Iran war has also fuelled inflation at home and increased the risk of Trump’s Republican Party losing control of one or both legislative chambers in November’s midterm elections.
Although the Chinese economy has faltered, Xi does not face comparable economic or political pressure.
Nevertheless, both sides are eager to maintain a trade truce struck last October, in which Trump suspended triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods while Xi stepped back from choking global supplies of rare earths, which are vital in the production of items ranging from electric cars to weapons.
They are also expected to discuss forums to support mutual trade and investment, as well as dialogue on artificial intelligence issues.
Washington is looking to sell Boeing aircraft, agricultural goods and energy to China to reduce a trade deficit that has long frustrated Trump, while Beijing wants the US to ease restrictions on exports of chipmaking equipment and advanced semiconductors, officials involved in the planning said.
Aside from trade matters, Trump is expected to encourage China to persuade Tehran to strike a deal with Washington to end the conflict. However, analysts doubt Xi will be willing to pressure Tehran heavily or end support for its military, given Iran’s value to Beijing as a strategic counterweight to the US.
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 stranded 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 governed island claimed by China, will be a top priority.
China reiterated on Wednesday its strong opposition to the sales, while the status of a US$14 billion package awaiting Trump’s approval remains unclear. The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite the absence 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 research fellow at Taiwan’s leading government think tank, Academia Sinica.
“I don’t think that Trump is going to simply let Beijing ask for whatever it wants and then have the US make every concession requested.”
Xi has a reciprocal visit tentatively planned for later this year, which would mark his first trip to the United States since Trump returned to office in 2025.
