Contrary to what is usual in official visits, China has so far avoided confirming the dates of Trump’s visit
China confirmed this Monday that United States President Donald Trump will visit the country this week, during which he will meet with his Chinese counterpart and discuss Iran and trade disputes.
“At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, the President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, will pay a state visit to China from May 13 to 15,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Contrary to what is usual for official visits, China has so far avoided confirming the dates of Trump’s visit, especially due to the uncertainty surrounding the war in the Middle East.
The White House had initially announced the US president’s trip to China for late March or early April.
But Donald Trump announced the postponement until mid-May, saying he wanted to prioritize managing the Iran crisis, with the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz affecting the global economy and energy prices on the international market.
The visit will be the first by a US president to China since Trump made it in 2017, during his first term, and comes at a time of numerous bilateral disputes, which include issues over Taiwan and the South China Sea.
North American restrictions on importing technology to China, tariffs and artificial intelligence will be on the agenda of the visit, which will take place from Wednesday to Friday, the White House announced.
The trip comes after the trade truce agreed by the two leaders in October in the South Korean city of Busan and will be preceded by trade negotiations that Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will hold on Wednesday in Seoul.
In March, He and Bessent led a two-day round of trade negotiations in Paris, which was also attended by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
In the talks, the delegations addressed rare earth elements, the US trade deficit, potential Chinese purchases of agricultural products, energy and aircraft, and the creation of a type of “commercial council” to manage bilateral exchanges.
Donald Trump will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday night, deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told reporters.
A welcoming ceremony and bilateral meeting with Xi Jinping will be held on Thursday morning, followed by a visit to the Temple of Heaven on Thursday afternoon and a state banquet in the evening, Kelly added.
The two presidents will have tea together, followed by a working lunch on Friday, before Donald Trump returns to Washington.
This visit will be an opportunity for the Republican to “rebalance the relationship with China and prioritize reciprocity and justice in order to restore American economic independence,” said Anna Kelly.
“This will be a visit of considerable symbolic importance”, but it will also allow “good agreements to be reached”, he assured.
