The US President Donald Trump said that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will visit the United States soon. The last time the Chinese leader visited was in the fall of 2023, when Joe Biden was still the US president.
The Financial Times writes about this.
Speaking at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Trump said that Xi Jinping would be "coming in the not-too-distant future".
This will be a significant diplomatic moment for the two geopolitical rivals, and will also provide clarity to multinational companies and investors about how tough a stance Washington will take in relations with China.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on whether Washington and Beijing had begun talks about a top-level meeting. The Chinese Embassy in Washington declined to comment.
Trump met with Xi several times during his first term as president. Their first meeting took place at the US presidentʼs Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in 2017, just months after Trump took office.
US-China relations
Trade tensions between China and the United States have been escalating in recent years, with tariffs, import and export restrictions, and a competition for technological leadership. Both Beijing and Washington are active in influencing international trade, and their bilateral restrictions also affect other countries.
At the same time, tensions are growing due to differences in geopolitical interests. One of the key issues is Taiwan. China threatens to “return” Taiwan, which is an ally of the United States. The ruling Communist Party considers Taiwan to be part of its territory. Beijing has increasingly promised to “reunify” the island with mainland China since 2022. Former US President Joe Biden said that the United States would defend Taiwan if it was attacked.
So Xi Jinping may visit the US in the midst of a trade war between the countries. Trump announced plans to impose tariffs on Canadian, Mexican and Chinese goods on February 2. Allegedly because of illegal migration and drug trafficking that enter the US through these countries. Canada and Mexico were threatened with 25% tariffs, and China — 10%. Later, Trump wanted to increase Chinese tariffs by another 10%.
After the restrictions took effect, China responded with new tariffs from the United States. The country raised import duties by 10-15%, covering a range of American agricultural and food products.
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