The United States announced this week that Trump will visit China from May 14 to 15 for a “milestone” high-level meeting with Xi Jinping. This will be Trump’s first visit to China in eight years, and attention remains on whether this summit will clarify the ongoing situation regarding Iran.
According to the German wave website, the White House announced on Wednesday (March 25) that U.S. President Trump would visit China and meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14 to 15. Trump stated on his “real social media” that “this will be a milestone meeting”. He also mentioned that Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan would visit Washington later this year.
The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. stated that there is “no information available” regarding this visit. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded at a regular press conference on Wednesday (March 26) that “leadership diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-U.S. relations,” and said that communication regarding Trump’s visit is ongoing. Reuters pointed out that Beijing typically does not announce Xi’s itinerary too far in advance.
This will be Trump’s first visit to China in eight years. The trip was originally scheduled for March 31 to April 2 but was postponed due to the Iran war.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated on Wednesday that Xi understands the reasons for the postponement, remarking, “It is crucial for the president to be present during current military operations.”
Regarding speculations about whether this means the Iran conflict will end before the Trump-Xi meeting, Leavitt responded that the White House has anticipated the conflict to last around four to six weeks, suggesting that various parties can calculate for themselves.
This long-planned visit has recently faced several disruptions. The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in February this year has limited Trump’s ability to impose tariffs, undermining his negotiating leverage with China. Trump has also recently sought support from oil-consuming nations, including China, in addressing Iran’s attempts to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. However, relevant requests have generally not received positive responses, and China has not made a direct statement.
Trump’s last visit to China was in 2017, making it the most recent visit by a U.S. president to China. This May visit will be the first face-to-face talks between the two since they reached a trade truce last October in South Korea.