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 hit by his Middle East entanglement, Trump’s long-awaited trip to China – the first by an American president to the United States’ main strategic rival since his last visit there in 2017 – has taken on added importance.
Accompanying him on the trip are a group of CEOs looking to resolve issues with China, including Elon Musk and Jensen Huang, a late addition. Trump has said his first request of 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, and the leaders shook hands and smiled 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 dynamics have changed
The power dynamic has changed since Trump’s last visit to Beijing, when China went out of its way to lavish Trump and buy billions in American goods, said Ali Wyne, senior adviser for US-China relations at the International Crisis Group.
Back then, “China was trying to persuade the United States of its rising status… This time it is the United States, spontaneously, of its own volition, that is recognizing 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 plenty of face-to-face time between the leaders: They are scheduled to hold talks in 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 the talks with a weakened hand.
U.S. courts have limited their ability to impose tariffs at will on exports from China and other countries. The Iran war has also fueled domestic inflation and raised the risk that Trump’s Republican Party will 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.
However, both sides are eager to maintain a trade truce reached last October in which Trump suspended triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods and Xi refrained from choking off global supplies of rare earths, vital for making items ranging from electric cars to weapons.
They are also expected to discuss forums to support mutual trade and investment and dialogue on AI issues.
Washington is seeking to sell Boeing planes, agricultural products and energy to China to reduce a trade deficit that has long irritated Trump, while Beijing wants the United States to ease restrictions on exports of advanced semiconductor and chip-making equipment, officials involved in the planning 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 Xi is willing to push hard on Tehran or end support for its military, given Iran’s value to Beijing 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 since 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 the spotlight
For Xi, selling American arms to Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China, will be a top priority.
China reiterated its strong opposition to the sales on Wednesday, and the status of the $14 billion package awaiting Trump’s approval remains unclear. The United States is required by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties.
“Trump doesn’t really have many cards to play. But I don’t think Trump really 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 let Beijing basically ask for whatever it wants and then the United States makes whatever concessions Beijing asks for.”
Xi is tentatively planning a reciprocal visit for later this year, which would be his first visit to the United States since Trump returned to office in 2025.
