China’s leader Xi Jinping will visit the United States this week for talks with President Donald Trump, Beijing confirmed Wednesday, expressing confidence they will deepen “strategic stability” between the world’s two biggest economies.
Washington has already made clear the presidents would meet in an effort to find common ground on trade conflicts, artificial intelligence and broader geopolitical concerns including Trump’s war in the Middle East, writes AFP.
The ministry said Xi would pay a state visit to the United States from Wednesday to Friday.
The two leaders will “have an in-depth exchange of views on major issues bearing on China-US relations and world peace and development,” Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the foreign ministry, said.
He added Beijing would “work with the US to enrich the substance of the constructive strategic stability relationship between China and the US… (and) properly manage differences”.
Trump will personally welcome Xi at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday before the two hold talks the next day, a U.S. official said.
The US leader was received by China’s vice president when he arrived in Beijing in May for his state visit.
“I’m talking to him about almost everything,” Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One on Sunday.
The brewing trade war between the two nations is of great concern: a long-term deal has yet to be reached, despite the two countries holding off on tariffs for nearly a year.
China’s top trade negotiator Vise Premier He Lifeng is in the United States meeting with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
The two addressed the establishment of a communication channel on AI concerns when they met on Sunday.
Warnings of an AI apocalypse have loomed over the summit, as both nations compete for technical supremacy.
“We have a proposal from the U.S. that we have a notification mechanism between the two countries,” Bessent added.
Such notifications are for prospective “incidents”, or a circumstance “that rises up to a national security level from AI,” he said.
Shadows Long
Trump’s Iran war also hangs heavy, as China strives to avoid US sanctions on countries that do business with Tehran.
China is one of Iran’s key diplomatic supporters and economic allies, buying much of Tehran’s oil output and seeking to mediate in the war that has entered its seventh month.
But analysts warn expectations remain low for the Trump-Xi summit.
The only thing we can hope for in the short term is a truce and that will likely last for the duration of this year’, said former US deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell
The prospect of a military confrontation over Taiwan, which China claims, also looms.
In July, China’s senior diplomat Wang Yi warned US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that repairing relations between the two countries “requires action”, while warning about Taiwan.
Taipei depends significantly on Washington’s backing to withstand escalating pressure from China.
In June Rubio stated a large $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan was “under review” with Trump calling it a “very good negotiating chip” in dealings with China.
China’s bargaining toolkit includes its control over the supply of rare earths, important elements used in high-tech devices that are key to U.S. firms.
Beijing managed to convince Washington into backing off its sky-high tariffs last year after placing strict controls on the export of rare earths.
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