This marks the first visit by an American president to China since the one Donald Trump made in November 2017.
President Donald Trump arrived in China on Wednesday, May 13 for a summit with his counterpart, Xi Jinping, covering global issues from international trade to the Iran war and Taiwan. The presidential plane landed at 13:50, French time. This is the first visit by an American president since Donald Trump’s visit in November 2017.
Xi Jinping will welcome his American counterpart with pomp on Thursday at 3 a.m., French time, at the People’s Palace on Tiananmen Square, a key power center in the heavily guarded capital. The grandeur of the reception and the attention shown to a guest who postponed this trip originally planned for late March because of the war in Iran will not overshadow the many disagreements awaiting the two leaders behind closed doors.
Donald Trump, seemingly focused on business, brought with him a number of business leaders, including Elon Musk, the head of Tesla and SpaceX and the richest man on the planet, Apple and Boeing CEOs Tim Cook and Kelly Ortberg, and the head of American semiconductor giant Nvidia, Jensen Huang.
“The China welcomes President Trump’s state visit”
“I will ask President Xi, a great leader, to open China so that these bright people can work their magic and help elevate the People’s Republic to an even higher level!” wrote Donald Trump on his Truth social network, en route to China. Top on the American wish list is the announcement of agreements in areas such as agriculture and possibly the confirmation of a massive order for Boeing aircraft.
“The China welcomes President Trump’s state visit,” said Chinese Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun. Beijing is ready to “expand cooperation and manage differences.” He reiterated Beijing’s mantra as the summit approached: the search for “more stability and certainty in a world beset by change and turbulence.”
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are expected to seek to extend the truce reached in October in the trade war. But other points of friction abound: restrictions on rare earth and semiconductor supplies, artificial intelligence, and intellectual property, Taiwan.
“Long conversation” on Iran
The war with Iran has added to the mix since late February with its global repercussions. According to the American administration, Donald Trump intends to pressure Beijing, a strategic and primary economic partner of Iran, the main importer of its oil, to use its influence to help resolve the crisis in the Gulf. The American president has sought to end Chinese purchases of Iranian oil by imposing various sanctions, condemned by Beijing. But so far, this has not escalated into open diplomatic crisis.
“We will have a long conversation about Iran,” said Donald Trump to journalists as he left the White House, insisting that he did not need anyone’s help in this matter. The near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to Iranian and American blockades directly impacts Chinese supplies. The war is beginning to have its effects on China.
The day before Donald Trump’s arrival, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Pakistan to “intensify” its mediation efforts between Tehran and Washington, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Position of Strength
The United States and China have been engaged in fierce competition for years, be it strategic, technological, or economic. “The summit may look polite on the surface, but tactically, it will be a rugby match where each party will seek to gain the upper hand,” predicts Melanie Hart, a China specialist at the Atlantic Council. The two superpowers engaged in a fierce trade war in 2025 with global repercussions, characterized by exorbitant tariffs and multiple restrictions following Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
The summit comes at a difficult time internally on both sides. Donald Trump faces catastrophic poll numbers and inflation driven by the war against Iran. At the same time, the Chinese economy is grappling with low domestic consumption and a persistent debt crisis in real estate.
Experts believe that Xi Jinping enters the summit in a relatively strong position against a beleaguered Donald Trump, dealing with the Middle East and increasing pressure from the upcoming U.S. midterm elections in November. However, they also note that she has no interest in a prolonged Gulf situation.
