Trump Prepares for Upcoming Visit to China to Discuss Key Issues

SadaNews - It is scheduled that U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14 and 15, during a summit that was postponed in March due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

This is the first state visit by a U.S. president to China since 2017, when Trump was in his first term.

Geopolitical tensions cast a shadow over this anticipated meeting, particularly those related to the Iranian file, the Strait of Hormuz, and Taiwan, along with other issues such as the Chinese nuclear arsenal, trade, artificial intelligence, and other points of contention.

Trade War

U.S. officials said the two leaders will discuss extending the truce in the trade war between the two countries during their meeting, which would help avoid the imposition of additional tariffs on mutual imports.

Last October, U.S. President Donald Trump reached a trade truce with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that temporarily halted the wave of tariff escalation between the two countries.

According to the officials, both the U.S. and Chinese sides are expected to agree on establishing new mechanisms to facilitate trade between the two countries and encourage mutual investments.

China is expected to announce its intention to increase its purchases of American products, including Boeing aircraft, as well as agricultural goods and energy sources.

One official indicated that there is a proposal to establish a joint trade council and another for investment between the two countries, which may be announced during the visit.

Precious Metals

U.S. officials indicated that the leaders will discuss the flow of rare earth metals from China to the United States during their meeting.

This comes as Beijing continues to impose restrictions on the export of rare earth metals, which the United States needs for advanced manufacturing.

The Trump administration aims to strengthen vital supplies of rare earth metals for automotive manufacturers, aircraft engines, weapons, and data centers, amid China's control over this market which it uses as a pressure tool.

The Iranian File

Regarding the Iranian file, Trump is expected to pressure the Chinese president to encourage Iran to reach an agreement on its nuclear program.

Trump has pressed China to use its influence to urge Tehran to reach an agreement with Washington and end the conflict that erupted after the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28.

China maintains close relations with Iran and is one of its main oil export importers, while intelligence reports accuse it of supplying Iran with weapons and military equipment.

Negotiations regarding the Iranian file are taking place as the U.S. Navy imposes a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and intercepts oil tankers headed to China, which is the largest importer of Iranian crude oil.

The Taiwan File

The discussions between the two presidents are also expected to cover issues that are among the main sources of tension between the U.S. and China, particularly the Taiwan file and nuclear weapons.

The Chinese president has expressed dissatisfaction with the U.S. stance on Taiwan, amid the ongoing political and military support Washington provides to the island, which Beijing considers part of its territory. In recent years, Beijing has responded to this support by bolstering its military presence around Taiwan.

Washington has long hoped to open talks with Beijing regarding nuclear weapons, although China continues to refuse to discuss its nuclear arsenal.

An American official stated that the Chinese government has informally communicated to the United States that it "is not interested in sitting down to discuss any kind of nuclear arms limitation or any such issues at this stage."

Artificial Intelligence

The meeting of the two leaders is also expected to touch on the artificial intelligence file, as this is one of the technological issues with increasing security implications in the relations between the two countries.

In this context, American officials have expressed concern about the advanced artificial intelligence models that China is developing, arguing that there is a need for a "communication channel" between the two sides to avoid any potential disputes that may arise from their use.

One of the officials stated, "The form of this channel has not yet been determined, but we want to seize the opportunity of this leaders' meeting to open a dialogue and consider the possibility of establishing a communication mechanism regarding artificial intelligence issues."