Trump set to meet with Xi in Beijing as war, inflation weigh on his presidency

Taiwan and trade are high on the agenda

The status of Taiwan also appears to be a major topic as China is displeased with US plans to sell weapons to the self-governing island that the Chinese government claims as part of its own territory.

Trump told reporters Monday that he would be discussing with Xi an USD 11 billion weapons package for Taiwan that the US administration authorised in December but has not yet begun fulfilling.

The US leader has demonstrated greater ambivalence toward Taiwan, an approach that’s raising questions about whether Trump could be open to dialling back support for the island democracy.

At the same time, Taiwan — as the world’s leading chipmaker — has become essential for the development of AI, with the US importing more goods so far this year from Taiwan than China. Trump has sought to use Biden-era programs and his own deals to bring more chipmaking to America.

Trump says relationship with Xi is on solid footing

But Trump was already portraying the trip as a success before he left White House grounds. He openly mused about Xi’s planned reciprocal visit to the US, lamenting that the ballroom under construction would not be completed in time.

“We’re going to have a great relationship for many, many decades to come,” Trump said of the US and China. “As you know, President Xi will be coming here toward the end of the year. So that would be exciting. I only wish we had the ballroom finished.”

Trump said he had spoken with the Chinese leader and the meeting would be “positive” as he embarked with a coterie of aides, CEOs and family members. He will arrive in China on Wednesday evening and, after a ceremonial greeting, go to his hotel. He will attend a state banquet Thursday and have a working lunch with Xi on Friday before returning to the US.

Despite Trump’s outward confidence, China appears to be entering the meeting from “a much stronger place,” said Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser on Chinese business and economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

China would like to reduce tech restrictions on accessing computer chips and find ways to reduce tariffs, among other goals.

“But even if they don’t get much on any of those things, as long as there’s not a blow-up in the meeting and President Trump doesn’t go away and look to re-escalate, China basically comes out stronger,” Kennedy said.

Trump wants a three-way nuclear arms deal

Trump also intends to raise the idea of the US, China and Russia signing a pact that would set limits on the nuclear weapons each nation keeps in its arsenal, according to a senior Trump administration official who briefed reporters ahead of the trip. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.

China has previously been cool to entering such a pact. Beijing’s arsenal, according to Pentagon estimates, exceeds more than 600 operational nuclear warheads and is far from parity with the US and Russia, which each are estimated to have more than 5,000 nuclear warheads.

The last nuclear arms pact, known as the New START treaty, between Russia and the United States expired in February, removing any caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century. As the treaty was set to expire, Trump rejected a call by Russia to extend the two-country deal for another year and called for “a new, improved, and modernized” deal that includes China.

The Pentagon estimates China has more than 600 operational nuclear warheads and will have over 1,000 by 2030.