US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two countries are preparing for talks on trade, Taiwan, artificial intelligence and the US war on Iran currently held by a fragile ceasefire. Ahead of the visit, Beijing laid out four “red lines” in China-US ties, meaning the issues it considers non-negotiable.
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In posts shared by the Chinese Embassy in Washington, the country listed Taiwan, democracy and human rights, political systems, and China’s development rights as areas that “must not be challenged”.
Trump’s visit is his first to China since 2017 and comes at a tense moment in relations between the world’s two largest economies. The main bilateral meetings are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, alongside a state banquet and other ceremonial events.
Chinese officials stood by their opposition to US arms sales to Taiwan before Trump’s arrival. Beijing considers the self-governed island part of its territory and has repeatedly criticised Washington’s military support to Taipei.
“We firmly oppose the United States engaging in any form of military ties with China’s Taiwan region,” China’s Taiwan affairs office spokesperson Zhang Han said in Beijing, as per Reuters. She called Taiwan the “core of China’s core interests”.
Taiwan expected to dominate talks
The Taiwan issue is expected to feature prominently in discussions after the Trump administration approved an $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan in December, the largest such deal to date.
The US officially follows the “One China” policy. This means they acknowledge Beijing’s position on Taiwan without recognising Chinese sovereignty over the island. At the same time, US law requires Washington to help Taiwan maintain its defence capabilities.
Apart from Taiwan, the summit is expected to cover trade tensions, export controls on rare earth minerals, access to advanced computer chips, and competition in artificial intelligence.
Trade to be the focal point
Trump said trade would be his main focus during the visit, with the US pushing for China to buy more American soybeans, beef and aircraft.
The two sides are also considering a new trade mechanism to avoid another tariff dispute after reaching a temporary truce last year.
The war on Iran and the subsequent blocking of the Strait of Hormuz are also likely to cast a shadow over the talks.
“We have a lot of things to discuss. I wouldn’t say Iran is one of them,” Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One to leave for China.
China has also been pushing back against Western sanctions linked to Iranian oil imports and is expected to raise concerns over US economic restrictions.
Trump landed in China
Trump arrived in Beijing to a formal welcome that included Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, senior Chinese officials, a military honour guard and hundreds of students.
He was accompanied by a large US delegation that included Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple chief Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, and Meta executive Dina Powell McCormick along with other senior aides and business leaders.
During the flight, Trump said he would ask Xi to further open China’s economy to US firms.
