Trump aims to press Xi over China’s approach to war in Iran

BEIJING – US President Donald Trump is expected to press Chinese President Xi Jinping over Beijing’s approach to Iran and hammer out details on a new board of trade when they meet this week in Beijing, senior US officials said on May 10, hours before China confirmed the state visit.

Mr Trump and Mr Xi are scheduled for talks on May 14 and 15 in Beijing as they wrestle with strong disagreements over trade and the US-Israeli war with Iran, which counts China as its biggest oil buyer and a key diplomatic backer.

In final preparations for the first US presidential trip to China in nearly a decade, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng for last-minute talks in Seoul on May 13, both sides confirmed.

Revenue that China provides to Iran, as well as potential weapons exports, would be among the topics discussed at the summit, one of the US officials told reporters on a conference call, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive preparations for the summit.

The Iran war – now in its third month – has added fresh tensions between the world’s two largest economies as they seek to stabilise ties and maintain a delicate trade truce.

The US has sanctioned multiple Chinese companies for purchasing Iranian oil or providing satellite imagery to Iran, as the Trump administration comes under increasing pressure to end a conflict that has triggered a historic energy crisis.

A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, Mr Guo Jiakun, said the two leaders will exchange views on “major issues concerning China-US relations as well as world peace and development”.

“China is willing to work with the US to uphold the principles of equality, respect and mutual benefit, expand cooperation, manage differences and inject more stability and certainty into a world fraught with change,” he told a regular press briefing in Beijing on May 11.

Signalling cooperation on a key bilateral issue, China said it dismantled a cross-border drug trafficking network in a joint operation with the US, detaining five suspects in raids spanning the two countries in early April, state news agency Xinhua reported on May 11.

Taiwan is also expected to be on the agenda, but no changes in US policy towards the self-governing island are expected, one of the US officials said.

Beijing has warned the US about arms sales to Taiwan, which it considers its own territory, and has asked the Trump administration to officially declare that it “opposes” Taiwan independence.

A senior Taiwanese official expressed concern in April that Taiwan would be put “on the menu” of the talks between Mr Trump and Mr Xi.

US concerns about artificial intelligence and a potential new channel of communication with China on that issue would also be discussed, the two US officials said on May 10.

Anthropic’s latest large language model Mythos has underscored the risks AI poses to cybersecurity, prompting regulators in the US, Britain and Asia to step up scrutiny of the security of their financial systems.

Mr Xi’s government has not officially commented on Mythos, but it has long taken a hardline approach towards threats to China’s national security.

Mr Xi and former US president Joe Biden discussed AI during their meetings in 2023 and 2024, including a pledge that neither of their nations would turn over control of nuclear weapons to AI programmes.

Mr Trump, who considers himself a deal-maker, will likely want to announce planned purchases by Beijing of US goods as well.

‘Lots of good news’

“President Trump will continue doing what he has done over the past year: rebalancing the relationship with China and prioritising reciprocity and fairness to restore American economic independence,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told reporters in a call.

“The American people can expect the President to deliver more good deals on behalf of our country.”

Ms Kelly said the two sides would continue to work on proposals to establish a “board of trade”, which would govern exchanges between the two countries of non-sensitive goods, and a “board of investment”.

Agreements on agriculture, aerospace and energy would also be discussed.

One senior US official said the two sides would continue discussions on Chinese purchases in those sectors and that announcements could come during or shortly after Mr Trump’s visit.

There are no current plans to create a major new Chinese investment programme, the official added.

Mr Jeremy Chan, a senior analyst at Eurasia Group and a former US diplomat, said Mr Bessent’s meeting with Mr He “sounds like a last-minute deliverable”, presumably related to the board of trade or investment.

“Overall, it is a positive signal and suggests that there may be a surprise upside in terms of outcomes,” Mr Chan said. “I can’t see why they would need one final tete-a-tete unless the two sides are close to delivering something more substantial than most folks expect.”

Mr Trump, who arrives in China on the morning of May 13, will take part in a welcoming ceremony early on May 14, followed by a meeting with Mr Xi, Ms Kelly said.

The US President will tour the Temple of Heaven in the afternoon and take part in a state banquet in the evening. The two leaders will have tea and a working lunch on May 15 before Mr Trump departs China.

Top White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures that Mr Trump and Mr Xi will be making deals through the summit.

“Exactly how those deals look will depend on how the meetings progress,” Mr Hassett said. “But my expectation, given the strong relationship between the two presidents, is that there will be lots of good news for American workers and firms and farmers.” BLOOMBERG