Amid growing geopolitical uncertainty spawned by the US-Israel war against Iran, US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit China on May 14-15, where he is expected to meet President Xi Jinping.
Ahead of the trip, Beijing expressed willingness to work with the United States to strengthen dialogue, enhance cooperation and stabilise bilateral ties, as senior Chinese leaders met a visiting bipartisan delegation of US senators in Beijing.
Premier Li Qiang said China is ready to implement the “important consensus” reached between President Xi and his American counterpart during their phone conversation in February, which he described as providing strategic guidance for the development of bilateral relations.
Meeting the delegation led by Senator Steve Daines, Li stressed the need to enhance communication, foster a conducive atmosphere for exchanges at all levels, and pursue tangible outcomes in cooperation across sectors.
He said China remains committed to improving the well-being of both peoples while injecting “certainty and positive energy” into the global landscape, adding that past experience has shown mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation to be the correct path for major powers.
Li also urged Washington to move in the same direction, prioritising dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation over confrontation and zero-sum competition, while maintaining stable and predictable economic and trade relations.
Reiterating Beijing’s position on Taiwan, Li described the issue as a core interest and a “red line” in China-US relations, expressing hope that the US Congress would approach China-related matters with caution and contribute positively to stable ties.
Separately, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi echoed similar sentiments during his meeting with the US delegation, saying that the visit marked the first by a bipartisan Senate group since President Trump assumed office.
Wang said the key to ensuring stable coexistence between the two countries lies in how they perceive each other, urging the United States to adopt an objective and rational view of China, respect its core interests, and manage differences constructively. “China-US relations concern not only the well-being of both peoples but also global stability,” Wang said, reiterating that Beijing’s policy toward Washington remains consistent and anchored in mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.
For his part, Senator Daines acknowledged China’s economic transformation and expressed support for the principles highlighted by Chinese officials. “We very much appreciate the importance of mutual respect, peaceful cooperation and stability. We seek the same outcomes,” he said. Both sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern, signalling cautious optimism for improved engagement despite ongoing differences.
What does China want from Trump’s visit?
Beyond diplomatic niceties and behind closed doors, Beijing will be looking for small, concrete achievements, analysts said, but will stay “realistically pragmatic” given Trump’s unpredictable nature. China wants a broad reset in ties but knows this would be unlikely, said Benjamin Ho from Singapore’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
After his return to the White House for a second term, President Trump upended the international trade system by unleashing his tariffs strategy in which the US levies on many Chinese goods that reached an eye-watering 145 per cent. Beijing did not go “begging for a deal” as the US president expected – and responded in kind.
The tit-for-tat escalation cooled off after Trump and Xi agreed in October to a one-year truce, with experts saying Beijing’s baseline goal for the upcoming meeting would be to extend that agreement. “What China needs is for Trump to follow through on his promise to engage, with at least a few concrete outcomes discussed at the highest level,” said Yue Su from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
What about the Iran war?
The Iran war will be “hard to avoid” in the Trump-Xi meeting, but “this is not a domain China is eager to engage deeply on”. The Trump administration has been unsuccessful in defending the Iran war politically, strategically, as well as diplomatically. So much so that America’s traditional NATO allies have refused to join the war, which Beijing has denounced as “illegal” and a violation of international law.
Trump warned last month he would hit China’s goods with a 50 per cent tariff if it provided military assistance to Iran. Beijing, however, strongly rejected the weapon supply claims as “groundless” and “fabricated”.
Instead, it has defended its right to engage in normal trade with the Islamic Republic, warning that it would take “necessary measures” to protect its legitimate rights and that it would not tolerate interference in its trade relations with Iran.
Beijing is a close partner of Tehran and has called US-Israeli strikes on Iran “illegal”, but it has also criticised Iranian attacks on Gulf countries and called for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened.
However, China will not accept pressure from the United States to take action on Iran or Russia. Beijing will also aim to avoid “additional complications” such as new US tariffs linked to China’s trade with Iran being introduced into an “already complex relationship”, Su said. However, the real negotiating terrain remains in trade and investment.
What is China’s edge?
One of China’s key strong points is its rare earths — metals crucial in the production of everything from smartphones to electric cars. China’s dominance in the rare earths industry, from natural reserves and mining through processing and innovation, is the result of a decades-long sustained investment. It remains China’s strongest tool if meaningful concessions from the United States are needed, Su said.
Trump has shown that he “cares a lot about” rare earths, said Joe Mazur, a geopolitics analyst at Beijing-based consultancy Trivium China. “I think that’s sort of something that the US doesn’t really have an answer to,” he said.
Mazur thinks that China is “going to line up… quick wins” before the visit, which may include buying more US agricultural products or Boeing jets. China, he said, might hope “that will put Trump and his team in a positive frame of mind when they’re then discussing more complex, thornier issues”.
How has Beijing prepared?
China has hedged against instability brought about by Trump through diversifying trade towards Southeast Asia and the Global South, and strengthening regional ties, said one analyst. Beijing has also sharpened its legal and regulatory toolbox and “has a potentially more extensive playbook”, as seen in the recent blocking of tech giant Meta’s acquisition of AI firm Manus.
However, a lot of these measures, including diversification of energy imports, a push towards electrification and tech self-sufficiency, predate Trump’s second term, Mazur said. “If this meeting goes exceptionally well, it’s not going to change the trajectory that China’s on,” he said. “This push to America-proof the Chinese economy is going to continue, no matter what happens”.
Is China confident?
Beijing will enter talks “cautiously confident” as it can absorb pressure better now and is more comfortable playing “a long game” than Trump, who is facing midterm election pressure.
A visit to Beijing by Russian President Vladimir Putin is also on the cards, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov — who met Xi in April — saying it would happen in the first half of this year.
A back-to-back visit would send the message that “just because he (Xi) had a good meeting with Trump, it doesn’t mean that Chinese support for Russia is going anywhere”, Mazur said. “That relationship is rock solid”.Latest News, Breaking News & Top News Stories | The Express TribuneAGENCIESRead More