President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a highly anticipated two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This marks the first state visit to China by a US leader in nine years and Trump's first visit since 2017. The two nations, the world's largest economies, seek to stabilize ties during a period of global instability.
Trade and the Iran war are expected to dominate the high-stakes discussions scheduled for Thursday and Friday. President Trump stated he will be talking about trade more than anything else as the two countries engage in a fierce trade war. Additionally, the president is expected to address the costly and unpopular conflict in Iran, potentially asking for China's help to resolve it.
Other key agenda items include U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, with President Xi expected to push for concessions on the matter. The leaders are also expected to discuss artificial intelligence. Trump is joined on the trip by several business leaders, including the CEOs of Apple, General Electric, and BlackRock.
The summit takes place at a restless moment for a world worried about war and trade disputes. President Trump will confront a China that is far more confident and assertive than the one he visited nearly a decade ago as the two leaders attempt to tackle the thorny issues dividing their nations.