WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will travel to China next week for a closely watched summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the ongoing war involving Iran threatens to overshadow efforts to stabilise ties between the world’s two largest economies.
Trump will expect a lavish welcome at the high-stakes meeting, which he delayed in March due to the Middle East conflict, reports AFP.
However, the war will still loom large over his first visit to China since 2017, which is intended to focus on easing tensions over trade and regional issues between the world’s two largest economies.
Trump is scheduled to visit China on May 14–15 for his second face-to-face summit with Xi, following their meeting last year in South Korea.
Trump said the two leaders would discuss the issue and that Xi had been “very respectful” over Iran.
Yet with Trump desperately seeking a deal to end the war before he lands in Beijing, China may seek to use his weakened position to extract concessions on key issues.
“The reality is that right now, Iran is critical for the US, and the Chinese know that,” said Edgard Kagan of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
‘Big, fat hug’
The world will be closely watching the Trump-Xi summit, but uncertainty over the timing and a lack of preparation mean deliverables are likely to be limited.
For a US president obsessed with the idea of Great Power diplomacy, the main priority during the May 14-15 visit will be visuals of him being feted by a strongman fellow leader.
Trump, 79, has repeatedly talked up his “very good relationship” with Xi, 72, whom he met in South Korea last October, even saying the Chinese leader will give him a “big, fat hug” over Iran.
He will also hope to come away from the summit with big business deals as he looks to the midterm elections, in which Republicans face a hammering over high oil prices from the war with Iran.
While some industry leaders say invitations have still not formally gone out, Trump’s administration plans to invite CEOs from companies including Apple, Exxon, Nvidia, and Boeing, Semafor reported, with talk of a big Boeing deal in the offing.
Trump will also be hoping to bring back deals on AI, critical minerals, and fentanyl.
According to AFP, one solid result that China, in particular, hopes for could be an extension of the fragile year-long trade truce that Trump and Xi agreed on in South Korea in October.
China has, however, shown that it is still ready to respond to Washington, saying on May 2 that it would not comply with US sanctions against firms targeted over Iranian oil transactions.
“It appears that the truce is not as strong as we were hoping,” Sean Stein, president of the US-China Business Council, told AFP.
‘A lot of leverage’
China will meanwhile be looking for stability in a Trump-roiled world, and to play for time in the knowledge that the volatile US leader is on his second and final term in office.
Beijing is also likely to use Trump’s weakened position to its advantage where it can.
“There’s actually a lot of leverage there that Beijing could use,” said Patricia Kim, a senior foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.
“Trump is looking for a win, right? I mean, he hasn’t had much wins in recent weeks with the war in Iran going on.”
At the same time, Beijing is likely to play up to Trump’s love of pomp and flattery, knowing that a slighted and angry Trump would cause trouble.
But the Chinese will try to wash their hands of any involvement in the war on its ally Iran and deflect pressure from Trump during the meeting with Xi.
Beijing’s hosting of Iran’s foreign minister this week was “a sign that they realize this is coming down the pike,” said Kagan from CSIS.
