US President Donald Trump is likely to begin his two-day official visit to China from May 13 (Wednesday) to May 15 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday.
It will be the first visit to China by a sitting US president in almost nine years and comes at a time when tensions between the two nations remain high. The high profile visit also follows a fresh setback in talks between the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear issues and sanctions.
Earlier on Sunday, US Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said Trump would arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening for what she described as a 'visit of tremendous symbolic significance'.
President Trump will hold an important bilateral meeting with Xi Jinping on Thursday, following a visit to the Temple of Heaven and a state banquet. The two leaders are expected to deliberate on a wide range of issues, including trade, economics, the Iran war, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and ongoing tariff disputes.
On Friday, the US imposed sanctions on nine companies and individuals from mainland China and Hong Kong, accusing them of helping Iran’s military. In response, the Chinese government announced that firms in China should disregard the sanctions and continue normal business operations.
Iran, along with the Taiwan issue, artificial intelligence, nuclear weapons and critical minerals, is expected to feature prominently on the agenda when Trump meets Xi in Beijing this week.
“Both Trump and Xi have an interest in swift and sustained de-escalation,” an analyst said, adding that Trump had once again become deeply engaged in the Middle East.
While praising his personal relationship with Xi and predicting that their summit would be 'quite amazing', Trump has also said he intended to raise the cases of former media executive Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and Ezra Jin Mingri, a pastor at the unregistered Zion Church who was detained by Chinese authorities last year.
Also read: Trump rejects Iran’s response to peace
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