The president arrived with a roster of top U.S. CEOs and high hopes for a deal — but an unresolved war with Iran may steal the show.
President Donald Trump touched down at Beijing Capital International Airport on Wednesday, kicking off a closely watched state visit to China — his first since 2017 and his debut trip to Beijing during his second term. He was greeted by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on the tarmac in a ceremony befitting a head of state.
According to CNBC, the president arrived flanked by some of the biggest names in U.S. business: Tesla’s Elon Musk, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang — who joined the trip after a personal call from Trump — and Apple’s Tim Cook, among more than a dozen senior executives.
Summits between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies don’t come without stakes. Al Jazeera reports the two-day talks, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, are expected to cover trade, Taiwan, artificial intelligence, and the ongoing U.S.–Iran conflict.
“The American people can expect the president to deliver more good deals on behalf of our country.”
— White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly
What deals are on the table?
CNN reports that the two leaders are widely expected to unveil a package of new trade deals, with the possibility of establishing a U.S.–China board of trade and a board of investment. Analysts say the optics matter nearly as much as the substance — Trump needs wins he can sell back home.
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who recently traveled to Beijing with a bipartisan Senate delegation, put it plainly: “We hope to see some kind of trade deals come out — Boeing, beef and beans.” Experts similarly told Al Jazeera that a politically saleable outcome would likely include large Chinese purchases of American aircraft and agricultural goods, movement on tariffs, and progress on rare earth exports.
Iran casts a long shadow
Despite the trade fanfare, the conflict with Iran is impossible to ignore. NPR reports the U.S. continues its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — a flashpoint with direct consequences for China, the world’s largest consumer of Iranian oil. The ceasefire, which Trump himself described Monday as being on “massive life support,” remains fragile.
A senior U.S. official told CNN that Trump is expected to press Xi to use China’s leverage over Tehran to reopen the strait and push Iran toward a peace deal — a significant ask given that Iran’s foreign minister had visited Beijing just days earlier.
Taiwan: the elephant in the room
China is expected to press hard on Taiwan. The Washington Post reports Trump has signaled openness to rethinking the degree of U.S. support for the island — alarming its backers in Congress and the region. “He’ll bring up Taiwan, I think, more than I will,” Trump told reporters before departing Washington.
The Council on Foreign Relations described the summit as an effort to stabilize U.S.–China relations rather than resolve long-standing disputes. Still, Trump posted on Truth Social that he expects “great things” to come from the visit — in keeping with the president’s trademark dealmaking bravado.
Trump’s schedule includes a state banquet, a tour of the Temple of Heaven, bilateral meetings with Xi on both days, and a working lunch before departing Friday.
