What Xi wants from Trump as Beijing seeks leverage in high-stakes summit

President Donald Trump arrived successful Beijing for a high-stakes acme with Chinese President Xi Jinping astatine a infinitesimal erstwhile some Washington and Beijing are trying to stabilize 1 of the world’s astir consequential rivalries without giving crushed connected deeper strategical disputes.

The two-day sojourn marks Trump’s archetypal travel to China since 2017 and comes amid mounting tensions implicit trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and the fallout from the warfare with Iran. While the White House is framing the acme arsenic an accidental for caller economical agreements and "rebalancing" the U.S.–China relationship, analysts accidental Beijing’s priorities are acold broader and much long-term.

"Trump arrives seeking header deals and disposable momentum up of the midterms," wrote Zongyuan Zoe Liu, elder chap for China studies astatine the Council connected Foreign Relations. "Xi is playing a longer game, focused connected strategical patience alternatively than substantive compromise."

TRUMP HEADS TO BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI TALKS AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH

President Donald Trump is expected to property Chinese President Xi Jinping connected China’s economical and strategical enactment for some Iran and Russia, including lipid revenue, dual-use components and imaginable weapons transfers, according to elder medication officials. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Topics expected to beryllium discussed during the acme see trade, aerospace, agriculture and vigor agreements, and the instauration of a U.S.–China Board of Trade and Board of Investment, according to the White House. 

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Trump’s extremity is to "deliver much bully deals connected behalf of our country" portion safeguarding U.S. nationalist security.

Trump participated successful a invited ceremonial and bilateral gathering with Xi Thursday greeting section clip successful Beijing, followed by a circuit of the Temple of Heaven alongside the Chinese person and a authorities banquet later. 

Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said Beijing views the acme arsenic an accidental to stabilize ties betwixt the world’s 2 largest economies. 

"Heads-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable relation successful providing strategical guidance for China–U.S. relations," Liu said successful a connection to Fox News Digital. "We invited President Trump’s authorities sojourn to China. China stands acceptable to enactment with the U.S. to grow practice and negociate differences successful the tone of equality, respect and communal benefit, and supply much stableness and certainty for a transforming and volatile world."

For Xi, analysts say, the apical precedence apt is avoiding further escalation with Washington portion buying clip for China’s slowing economy, arsenic it continues to conflict with anemic home demand, deflationary unit and concern overcapacity. 

A caller study by the U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission warned that Beijing is doubling down connected state-led concern argumentation contempt mounting structural weaknesses successful the Chinese economy.

The committee said China is progressively operating a "two-speed" economy, wherever overmuch of the broader system stagnates portion sectors prioritized by the Chinese Communist Party person monolithic authorities enactment and proceed expanding beyond marketplace demand.

The study besides warned of a caller "China Shock 2.0," arguing Beijing’s excess concern capableness and grounds commercialized surplus are disrupting planetary markets portion expanding overseas dependence connected Chinese-controlled proviso chains successful sectors ranging from batteries and pharmaceuticals to semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

"Chinese argumentation seeks simultaneously to trim China’s reliance connected overseas exertion portion expanding the world’s dependence connected China," the committee noted successful its findings.

TRUMP TO CONFRONT XI AT HIGH-STAKES SUMMIT OVER CHINA BACKING FOR IRAN, RUSSIA

President Trump was greeted by a ceremonial authorities invited erstwhile helium touched down successful Beijing up of high-stakes talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

At the aforesaid time, Xi is entering the talks with leverage stemming from the ongoing Iran situation and planetary vigor disruptions.

Trump has faced increasing home unit implicit rising vigor prices tied to instability successful the Middle East and shipping threats adjacent the Strait of Hormuz. Beijing, meanwhile, remains 1 of Iran’s largest lipid customers and maintains governmental ties with Tehran.

Susan Thornton, erstwhile acting adjunct caput of authorities for East Asian and Pacific affairs during Trump’s archetypal term, said during a caller Stanford University Asia-Pacific Research Center interrogation that expectations for large breakthroughs should stay debased contempt the summit’s symbolism.

"The superior worth lies successful the enactment of gathering itself," Thornton said.

She suggested Beijing whitethorn spot a strategical vantage successful America’s renewed absorption connected the Middle East. While China has made nominal bid proposals, it has not stepped up arsenic a mediator.

"It seems similar they are benignant of hanging backmost and waiting to spot what volition happen," Thornton said, arguing that from Beijing’s perspective, a U.S. entanglement successful the Middle East whitethorn service arsenic a utile distraction, diverting Washington’s attraction and unit distant from China.

One country wherever the 2 sides could denote tangible advancement is agriculture. 

The White House is pushing Beijing for expanded purchases of U.S. workplace products up of the summit, according to a Reuters study published Tuesday, peculiarly soybeans and grains. 

But traders and analysts told Reuters that China’s appetite for large caller soybean commitments whitethorn beryllium constricted owed to anemic home request and cheaper alternatives from Brazil. Instead, markets are watching for imaginable agreements involving corn, sorghum, wheat, beef and poultry, sectors viewed arsenic little politically contentious successful the broader U.S.–China relationship. 

More than a twelve U.S. concern executives, including leaders from cultivation elephantine Cargill, are accompanying Trump during the visit.

PRESIDENT TRUMP MUST PUT AMERICAN HOSTAGES FIRST IN HIGH-STAKES BEIJING SUMMIT

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his woman Peng Liyuan invited U.S. President Donald Trump and his woman Melania Trump astatine the Palace Museum, besides known arsenic the Forbidden City, successful Beijing, Nov. 8, 2017.  (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi via Getty Images)

Despite the absorption connected commercialized and geopolitical tensions, survivors of China’s spiritual persecution are urging the medication not to sideline Beijing’s crackdown connected spiritual groups and dissidents.

Ahead of the summit, Trump publically pledged to rise the lawsuit of imprisoned Chinese pastor Ezra Jin pursuing advocacy efforts by his daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, who has accused Beijing of persecuting Christians.

Former U.S. officials told Fox News Digital they are skeptical quality rights concerns volition play a cardinal relation during a acme chiefly focused connected lowering tensions and stabilizing economical ties betwixt the 2 powers.

Taiwan and exertion restrictions are besides expected to loom implicit the talks. Beijing continues to reason U.S. arms income and enactment for Taiwan, portion Washington has tightened export controls targeting China’s precocious semiconductor and AI sectors.

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For President Donald Trump, the acme offers an accidental to showcase economical wins and diplomatic engagement up of the 2026 midterms (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)

Still, contempt the escalating rivalry, neither Washington nor Beijing appears anxious for a nonstop confrontation.

For Trump, the acme offers an accidental to showcase economical wins and diplomatic engagement up of the 2026 midterms. 

For Xi, analysts say, the extremity is acold much measured: sphere stability, debar confrontation and proceed positioning China for a prolonged strategical contention with the United States.