President Donald Trump has landed in Beijing for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as both capitals seek to steady one of the world’s most important rivalries without yielding on core strategic disagreements.
The two-day trip is Trump’s first visit to China since 2017 and comes against a backdrop of rising friction over trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and the ongoing fallout from the war with Iran. The White House is promoting the talks as a chance to strike new economic understandings and “rebalance” the U.S.–China relationship, but many analysts argue Beijing is pursuing a much broader, long-range agenda.
“Trump is arriving in search of headline-grabbing deals and visible momentum ahead of the midterm elections,” observed Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, noting that Xi appears focused instead on strategic patience rather than major concessions.
In a separate development, Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity that Xi has indicated a willingness to help maintain safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, as Washington and Tehran have yet to finalize an agreement to end the war. “President Xi wants to see a deal reached, and he offered to help in any way he can,” Trump said, pointing to China’s extensive oil purchases from the region and Xi’s desire to keep the vital shipping lane open.