Trump-Xi Beijing Summit To Focus On Iran Conflict, Trade Tensions
US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will meet in Beijing later next week, but the focus is likely to remain on the Iran war, though trade issues between the nations would also get attention.
The summit between the two nations is slated to be held in Beijing on May14-16. This would be Trump’s first visit to China since 2017, CNBC reported. Trump’s last visit to Beijing had resulted in 37 deals worth $250 billion.
That visit was during his first term as the US President. China has hosted top leaders including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the first UK PM to visit Beijing since 2018. Starmer’s visit was seen as an attempt to boost bilateral and economic ties, as both nations battled economic challenges following the imposition of tariffs by Trump.
The US and Iran have not strictly adhered to the a ceasefire as the former has enforced a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which a fifth of the global energy supplies passed before the conflict. The Hormuz imbroglio has sent oil prices soaring, stoking inflationary concerns across the globe.
Investors hope the US administration will be able to broker a lasting peace in the Middle East before Trump’s visit. Any lasting peace deal would bolster the stock market and put the focus back on trade ties between two of the world’s largest economies.
US Treasury Secretary has indicated that the Middle East conflict and Iran will be key issues in the meetings, CNBC reported.
Indications are that the US delegation accompanying Trump will be smaller in size, than the recent bilateral visits which China hosted recently. More than 30 top US industry executives had accompanied Trump during his trip to Saudi Arabia in 2025.
Still, top industry leaders including Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and Citi Group CEO Jane Fraser are most likely to be part of Trump’s entourage.
“I think it’s very important to see engagement” between the two economic powerhouses, Fraser was quoted as saying by CNBC.
Iran’s reluctance to engage the US for a lasting settlement to the vexed issue of capping its nuclear program is the main roadblock to an end to the conflict.Tehran’s Permanent Mission to the International Organizations in Vienna has firmly rejected charges about the Islamic nation’s nuclear program, Kazinform news agency reported.
Trump’s visit to Beijing comes amid a decline in China’s trade with the United States this year, the South China Morning Post reported.
Beijing’s merchandise exports to the US fell more than 10.2 per cent year on year to$133.4 billion in the first four months of 2026, according to official data.
China’s imports from the US also declined 10.9 per cent to$45.8 billion in the same period. Beijing’s trade surplus with the US has been pegged at $87.7 billion so far.
China’s exports to the US rose 11.3 per cent year on year to US$36.8 billion in April, dodging a declining trajectory from January to March.
China reportedly favours expansion of economic ties with the US, though both nations are softpedalling on the vexed issues of US sanctions and tech standoff.
