Beijing (AFP) – China’s leader Xi Jinping will visit the United States this week for talks with President Donald Trump, Beijing confirmed Monday, expressing hope they will strengthen “strategic stability” between the world’s two largest economies. Washington had already made clear that the leaders would meet in a bid to find common ground on trade disputes, artificial intelligence, and broader strategic issues including Trump’s war in the Middle East.
Xi will make a state visit to the United States from Wednesday to Friday, a government statement said. Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the two leaders would “have an in-depth exchange of views on major issues concerning China-US relations and world peace and development”. Beijing would “work with the US to enrich the substance of the relationship of constructive strategic stability between China and the US…(and) properly manage differences”, he added.
Trump will personally welcome Xi at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday before their meetings the following day, a US official confirmed. The US leader was greeted by China’s vice president when he landed in Beijing for his state visit in May. “I’ll be discussing almost everything with him,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. The simmering trade war between the two countries is a key concern: while both sides have maintained a tariff truce for nearly a year, they have yet to secure a lasting agreement.
Vice Premier He Lifeng, China’s top negotiator for trade, is in the United States for meetings with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The two discussed creating a communication channel for AI concerns when they met on Sunday. Warnings of an AI apocalypse have hung heavy over the upcoming meeting, as both countries race for technological supremacy. “The US has proposed that we have a notification mechanism between the two countries,” Bessent said. Such notifications are for potential “incidents”, or a situation “that rises up to a national security level from AI”, he said.
Trump’s Iran war casts a long shadow too, as China seeks to avoid US sanctions against countries dealing with Tehran. China is one of Iran’s top economic partners and diplomatic backers, buys much of Tehran’s oil output, and has sought to mediate in the war that has entered its seventh month. However, analysts caution that expectations for the Trump-Xi summit are low. “One of the only things we can hope for in the short term is a truce, and that this will likely continue through the remainder of this year,” former US deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell told AFP.
The threat of military confrontation over Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China claims, looms large as well. In July, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that improving ties between their two countries “requires action” as he issued a warning about Taiwan. Taipei relies heavily on Washington’s support to counter growing pressure from China. In June, Rubio said a massive $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan was “under review”, with Trump calling it a “very good negotiating chip” in dealings with China.
China’s negotiating arsenal includes its dominance in the supply of rare earths, critical materials used for high-tech products that are vital to US manufacturers. Beijing successfully pressured Washington to back down from its sky-high tariffs last year after imposing stringent controls on exports of rare earths.
© 2024 AFP
