US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday.

Trump visited Beijing in November 2017 during his first term. This is the first high-level visit from the US since then.

However, Trump and Xi have been meeting repeatedly in various places. The last time the two leaders met was in Busan, South Korea, in October 2025. At that time, US tariffs on China were reduced from 57 percent to 47 percent.

Similarly, the decision to increase tariffs announced by Trump was also postponed. In response, China also relaxed restrictions on rare earth metals. Trump praised the successful meeting as 12 out of 10.

This time, Xi and Trump's meeting is taking place against a tense geopolitical backdrop. The US itself is involved in the Iran war. The war has affected global energy markets. Iran's strategic partner China condemned the attack on Iran on February 28. Despite their different strategic interests, the US and China have both felt the need to strengthen trade relations. The deterioration of trade relations between the two major economies has had a global impact. Donald Trump increased tariffs on Chinese goods as soon as he took office for the second time. As a result, Chinese exports to the US have decreased. Since then, China has been making trade agreements with various countries around the world to reduce its dependence on the US. This has established China as a stable and reliable partner in the world despite its competition with the US. At the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng reiterated China's commitment to multilateralism and trade. He claimed that China is promoting shared prosperity and broadening the scope of the global economy and trade.

China's exports in the first two months of 2026 increased by 21.8 percent compared to the previous year. This shows that China is expanding its reach into the rest of the world despite a decline in trade with the United States.

In addition, Trump and Xi will discuss the Iran war and US intervention in Venezuela. China has provided Venezuela with more than $1 trillion in oil-based loans. The impact on the oil market there will not only cause China to suffer strategic but also huge trade losses.

Trump and Xi will also discuss the issue of Taiwan. China has accused the US of playing geopolitical games on its territory Taiwan. “He (C) will bring up the Taiwan issue more than I will,” Trump said at a press conference at the White House before departing for China on Tuesday.

China aims to cooperate with the US on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiaqun.

“The two leaders will have in-depth discussions on major issues of China-US relations and world peace and development,” Guo said at a press conference held on Tuesday. “China is ready to work with the US to expand cooperation on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit, manage differences, and bring stability to a changing and unstable world.”

The Trump administration has placed trade relations with China at the top of its priority list. Trump’s delegation includes CEOs of 16 prominent US companies. The visiting team includes CEOs or directors of technology, banks and large manufacturing houses, including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and BlackRock's Larry Fink.

The US is preparing to propose a 'Board of Trade' to establish a structured trade framework with China. US Trade Representative Jameson Grier has said that this is needed to formalize and balance bilateral trade flows. This board will determine priority items for imports and exports. The US will negotiate with China to maintain its access to important and rare minerals. China is the largest supplier of rare minerals. China has 90 percent of the world's refined metals. Similarly, 60-70 percent of the world's mineral production centers are in China. According to the US Geological Survey's 2020-2023 data, China accounts for nearly 70 percent of the rare earth minerals imported into the US from abroad. These metals are indispensable in the use of important materials such as batteries, electric vehicles, and semiconductors. Last year, China tightened its restrictions on the export of these metals, which severely affected American and Western industries.

US media reports that China may purchase 500 Boeing aircraft. Similarly, the issue of continuing imports of American agricultural products is also on the agenda of Trump's visit.

The US has been closely monitoring Chinese goods and investments in recent years. China is proposing to loosen this. The US is discouraging the use of high-tech and AI technologies produced in China through various sanctions. The two heads of state will also hold talks on this issue.

The meeting is also expected to discuss access to the US market for Chinese carmakers. This includes the issue of easier access to the US market for major companies such as BYD, the world's largest electric car maker.