Bottom line: Trump travels to Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping in a weak negotiating position. The White House expects progress on trade, fentanyl, and Iran, but experts doubt major breakthroughs. Trump himself has sent contradictory signals about the agenda.
President Donald Trump is traveling to Beijing in an unusual position – as a supplicant seeking concessions. The White House indicates that his talks with China’s leadership Xi Jinping will focus on trade, fentanyl, and the war in Iran – issues on which the Trump administration has so far achieved no significant agreements or concessions from Beijing.
Trump will therefore have difficulty achieving the major breakthroughs he has been promising for weeks. Trump called the March meeting a “monumental event” and posted last month on Truth Social that he expects nothing less than a “big fat hug” from Xi. Beijing has so far released no details about the summit agenda. Trump and Xi will discuss “key issues regarding China-US relations and global peace and development,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun on Monday. Trump has made various statements about discussion topics. On Monday he said that both Iran and energy were on the list, but on Tuesday he walked it back before departing the White House: “We have many things to discuss. To be honest, I wouldn’t call Iran one of them, because we have it very well under control.” Instead, he indicated that trade would be the primary topic. “It’s the shrinking summit,” remarked Zack Cooper, a former assistant to the deputy national security adviser during the George W. Bush administration, who regularly stays in contact with U.S. and Chinese officials.