US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold high-stakes talks focusing on critical issues including Iran’s nuclear conflict, Taiwan’s security, economic cooperation, and concerns over advanced AI development. While both sides aim to stabilize their strained relationship and discuss trade and investment, significant disagreements remain on Taiwan’s status and nuclear weapons control, with China reluctant to negotiate on its nuclear arsenal.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled for high-stakes talks during Trump’s first visit to China since 2017. The summit aims to stabilize the strained relationship between the world’s two largest economies, focusing on critical geopolitical and economic issues. Alejandro Reyes from the University of Hong Kong highlights the importance of this meeting not only for global geopolitics but also for the global economy.
A key topic on the agenda is Iran, where the US and Israel have been engaged in conflict over nuclear weapons. China maintains strong ties with Iran and is a major consumer of its oil exports. Trump is pressuring China to leverage its influence to encourage Iran to negotiate with Washington and end the conflict. However, experts caution that China’s influence over Iran may be overestimated, as Iran does not necessarily follow Beijing’s lead in its foreign policy decisions.
Taiwan is another major point of contention. The US continues to support Taiwan as its most important international backer and arms supplier, despite Beijing’s claims over the island. China has increased its military presence near Taiwan in recent years, causing frustration for Xi Jinping. US officials have stated that American policy toward Taiwan will remain unchanged, underscoring the ongoing tension between Washington and Beijing on this issue.
Economic cooperation is also expected to feature prominently in the talks. The two countries are likely to agree on forums to facilitate mutual trade and investment. China is anticipated to announce purchases of Boeing airplanes, American agricultural products, and energy resources. Discussions will also cover extending a truce in the ongoing US-China trade war, particularly concerning the flow of rare earth minerals from China to the US, although the extension of this agreement remains uncertain.
Finally, concerns about advanced artificial intelligence (AI) development in China have been raised by Trump’s aides, who emphasize the need for communication channels to prevent conflicts arising from AI use. Additionally, Washington hopes to initiate talks on nuclear weapons control, but China remains reluctant to engage in discussions about its nuclear arsenal. Chinese officials have made it clear that they have no interest in negotiating nuclear arms controls at this time, highlighting a significant area of disagreement between the two powers.