Donald Trump to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing for talks on Iran, Taiwan, AI and trade tensions
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping will hold their first face-to-face talks in more than six months as they try to stabilise ties strained by trade and the Iran war.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss Iran, Taiwan, artificial intelligence and nuclear weapons as they weigh extending a critical minerals deal, according to US officials previewing Mr Trump’s two-day visit to China this week.
The leaders of the world’s two largest economies will hold their first face-to-face talks in more than six months as they try to stabilise ties strained by trade, the US and Israeli war with Iran and other areas of disagreement.
Mr Trump will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday, ahead of talks set to take place on Thursday and Friday. It will be his first trip to China since 2017.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The US and China are expected to agree to forums to facilitate mutual trade and investment, while China is expected to announce purchases related to Boeing airplanes, American agriculture and energy, the officials said.
Plans for a Board of Trade and Board of Investment may be formally announced at the meeting, but those mechanisms may need subsequent work before they can be implemented, one of the officials said.
The two countries will also discuss lengthening a truce in their trade war that allows rare earth minerals to flow from China to the US, though it is not yet clear if that agreement will be extended this week.
The Trump-Xi talks are also expected to veer into areas that have long been a source of US-China tension, including Iran, Taiwan and nuclear arms.
China maintains ties with Iran and remains a major consumer of its oil.
Mr Trump has been leaning on China to use its influence to push Tehran to make a deal with Washington and end the conflict that began when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February.
The Trump administration has also pressed China on its dealings with Russia.
“The president has spoken multiple times with General Secretary Xi Jinping about the topic of Iran and about the topic of Russia, to include the revenue that China provides to both those regimes, as well as dual-use goods, components and parts, not to mention the potential of weapons exports,” said one of the officials.
“I expect that conversation to continue.”
Xi, meanwhile, is frustrated with Washington over Taiwan.
The US remains the most important international backer and arms supplier for the democratically governed island, which Beijing claims as its own.
The Trump aides expressed increasing concern about advanced artificial intelligence models being developed in China and believed the two sides need “a channel of communication” to avoid conflicts.
“What that looks like is yet to be determined, but we want to take this opportunity with the leaders meeting to open up a conversation and to see if we should establish a channel of communication on AI matters,” said one of the officials.
Washington has also long hoped to open up talks with Beijing about nuclear weapons, though China remains reluctant to discuss its arsenal.
