Trump Departs for China Talks With Xi as Iran Conflict, Trade Disputes Loom

President Donald Trump departed for China for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the Iran conflict, trade disputes, and regional security concerns expected to dominate discussions.

“Trump downplays differences with China’s Xi over Iran as he heads to Beijing for high-stakes summit Trump downplays differences with China’s Xi over Iran as he heads to Beijing for high-stakes summit WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday downplayed differences with President Xi Jinping over the U”

AP News

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, "He's a great gentleman. I find him to be an amazing, amazing man," and he also said, "I have a very good relationship with President Xi," as he prepared to travel.

AP News

CBS News said Trump was scheduled to arrive in Beijing Wednesday morning, Eastern Daylight Time, with Beijing 12 hours ahead of Washington.

The summit is framed as a bid to stabilize the U.S.-China relationship while addressing trade and supply-chain bottlenecks tied to the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, which CBS said would be inescapable topics.

Zongyuan Zoe Liu of the Council on Foreign Relations said, "Their top concern really is about how to stabilize the U.S.-China relationship" so competition does not create "accidental spillover to militarize the conflict."

As Trump heads to Beijing, multiple outlets tie the agenda to the war in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, with AP saying Trump had been unsuccessfully pressing Xi to prod Iran to agree to U.S. terms or reopen the strait.

AP quoted Trump saying, "We’re going to have a long talk about it," and it also reported his claim, "I wouldn’t say Iran is one of them, to be honest with you, because we have Iran very much under control."

BBC

The Guardian said Trump expected Xi to "give me a big, fat hug when I get there" while warning the Middle East conflict would cast a long shadow over two days of talks.

The Guardian reported that behind the scenes U.S. officials urged China to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept U.S. terms for peace, while also noting fears Trump might weaken U.S. support for Taiwan.

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said, "Of course we hope that the Trump-Xi summit does not produce any surprises regarding Taiwan-related issues," and the Hill reported Taiwan was "not overly worried" about unexpected curveballs.

Trade is expected to be a major topic alongside Iran, with CNBC saying Chinese exporters were less focused on tariffs and more on the duration of the Iran war as shipping lanes and energy markets tightened.

“Washington — President Trump headed to China for a highly anticipated with Chinese President Xi Jinping, following through with a meeting Mr”

CBS News

CNBC quoted Wang Dan saying, "They all want the war to stop," and it reported that exporters were worried about orders from overseas markets.

NBC News said Trump was bringing more than a dozen chief executives to Beijing, including Apple’s Tim Cook and Elon Musk, and it described the goal as returning to Washington with positive economic headlines and a reinforced personal relationship.

NBC News also quoted Alexander Gray saying, "the economic relationship needs to be placed on an equilibrium" that gives the United States time to harden resilience and supply chains.

In parallel, the Guardian reported that the summit itinerary includes a sale of 500 Boeing 737 Max jets and that Trump and Xi would discuss creating a new board of trade to manage what China should buy from the U.S. and vice versa.