Trump Arrives in Beijing for Summit Amid Iran War
Beijing (ANTARA) - US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday evening (13/5) for a summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, amid global attention on the potential discussion of the Iran war and the Taiwan issue during the talks.
Trump was accompanied by more than a dozen top executives from major American companies.
He hopes to achieve a major business deal between the world’s two strongest nations, despite long-standing trade frictions and fierce competition for advantage in new technologies.
In the final preparations for the two-day summit, which will run until Friday (15/5), US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met in South Korea just hours before Trump’s arrival.
Bessent and He are two central figures who have shaped US-China relations since Trump’s second administration began more than a year ago.
During his journey to Beijing, Trump stated on social media that his first request to Xi would be to “open China.”
Referring to the prominent executives travelling with him, he wrote, “These brilliant people can work their magic and help the People’s Republic (of China) reach an even higher level.”
They include Elon Musk of Tesla, Jensen Huang of Nvidia, Tim Cook of Apple, Kelly Ortberg of Boeing, and David Solomon of Goldman Sachs.
However, for many officials in Asia and others, the most important prospect among the many issues at stake appears to be the resolution of the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran at the end of February, as well as whether Trump will alter the US’s declarative policy on Taiwan.
Before leaving Washington for the first US presidential visit to China in nearly a decade, Trump told reporters that he would have “long talks” with Xi about the conflict, given Beijing’s close political and economic ties with Tehran.
“He is someone familiar to us. I think you will see good things happen. It will be a very interesting trip. Many good things will happen,” Trump said.
China is Iran’s largest buyer of crude oil, providing Tehran with a vital economic lifeline.
Showing signs of frustration over the lack of progress in talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and stabilise the Middle East, Trump is expected to ask Xi to persuade Iran to reach a deal with the US.
However, Trump said on Tuesday (12/5) that he believes the US does not need any assistance from China regarding Iran.
The day before, Trump stated that he would discuss US arms sales to Taiwan with Xi, amid indications from Chinese officials that the topic would be a priority during their interactions.
China views Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes foreign arms transfers to Taiwan.
In December, Trump announced an $11 billion US arms sales package to Taiwan, the largest in history, which quickly drew a strong reaction from Beijing.
Trump’s visit marks the first US presidential trip to China since November 2017, when he travelled to Beijing during his first term.
Source: Kyodo