Trump May Meet Xi In China As Soon As April Ahead Of June "Birthday Summit" In The US
President Trump could visit China as early as next month, SCMP reported citing multiple diplomatic sources, as the American leader has appeared focused on hammering out a deal with Beijing since his return to the White House.
The presidents of both countries would like the other side to visit to present it as a diplomatic triumph, but initial discussions have been around Trump visiting China. It is unclear how far discussions about a potential trip have progressed.
One Chinese source said “it is more difficult for Beijing officials to talk to their counterparts in Washington now than in the Biden administration, as Washington is going through drastic changes”.
Just days before Trump returned to the White House on January 20, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call and spoke on a wide range of issues.
April meeting notwithstanding, the WSJ reported separately overnight that Washington and Beijing have also begun discussions about a potential “birthday summit” in June in the Trump and Xi. The discussions come as the Trump administration is ramping up tariff and other trade measures against China. This strategy aims to build leverage for negotiations with Beijing.
Trump and Xi, through their representatives, have expressed interest in a summit since Trump won the election in November. The latest talks on a potential summit in the month when both leaders celebrate birthdays signal a willingness from both sides to inject some goodwill in the relationship amid trade tensions that have unsettled global markets and businesses.
Xi was born on June 15, 1953, seven years after Trump, who was born on June 14, 1946.
Traveling to Washington carries risks for Xi: He could come off as a supplicant to Trump at a time when pressure is building. Chinese officials involved in talks for a summit are also wary of any optics similar to the public scolding of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Feb. 28.
That is why Beijing has shown greater interest in having Trump travel to Beijing for a summit, which may explain why Trump may be considering an April trip ahead of the June summit
As the WSJ notes, with economic pressure building in China, Beijing has a strong interest in engaging in negotiations to fend off additional tariff hikes and technology restrictions from the U.S. China hopes that a summit could help kick-start the process, according to people familiar with Beijing’s thinking.
Since Trump’s inauguration in January, the administration has threatened, then paused, tariffs on Mexico and Canada, while pledging to impose import duties on Europe and other trading partners. So far, China is the only country that has actually faced across-the-board tariff increases from Trump.
Earlier this month, the White House imposed another 10% in tariffs on China on top of ones set in February, citing China’s role in the fentanyl crisis in the U.S. The moves raised the average duty rate on Chinese imports to around 35% from about 14.5% as of 2023. Beijing quickly retaliated with measured tariffs of its own, tailoring its response to avoid escalating tensions.
Advisers to the White House have said Trump isn’t in a rush to negotiate with Xi because of the U.S.’s economic strength. The American leader, who has repeatedly heaped praise on Xi, calling him a “good friend,” also continues to believe that he can take actions like tariffs, while simultaneously expecting that his personal relationship with Xi will survive and provide a buffer for some of the shock to both sides of trade tariffs, according to the advisers.
Recent official data show China’s exports—one of the few bright spots in the Chinese economy—rose 2.3% in January and February compared with a year earlier, well below expectations. Meanwhile, China has entered a cycle of deflation, with consumer inflation dropping below zero last month for the first time in over a year.
Still, China has sought to project strength. The Xi leadership last week announced a growth target of about 5% for 2025, the same as in recent years, indicating that it expects the Chinese economy to resist the rising trade pressures. At a press conference last week, Foreign Minister Wang Yi scolded the Trump administration over its approach to China.
Other actions being considered by Trump’s trade team include restricting Chinese investment in the U.S. and U.S. investment in China; targeting industries dominated by China, such as shipbuilding; and further limiting the sale of high-tech products to Chinese companies. Agency reviews of the bilateral economic relations, ordered by Trump on his first day in office, are due by early April.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 03/11/2025 – 11:45