Trump Says He Will Ask Xi to Open China Ahead of Beijing Summit

President Donald Trump begins his first visit to China in nine years

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are due to hold summit talks in Beijing on May 14. Trump arrived for a two-night, three-day state visit to China at Xi’s invitation.

The two leaders will attend an official welcome ceremony at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People at 10 a.m. on May 14 before heading straight into talks. They will then visit Beijing’s Temple of Heaven and attend a state dinner in the evening.

The meeting will be their first in about six months since they last met in Busan on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in October.

The war in Iran is set to be one of the topics discussed. As he left the White House in Washington on May 12 for the China trip, Trump said he expected to have a long conversation with Xi about Iran.

The U.S. side is also seeking tangible progress on trade. Asked by reporters at the White House about the main goal of the visit, Trump said he would discuss a wide range of issues with Xi, but trade would be the top priority.

In a Truth Social post aboard Air Force One on the way to Beijing, Trump wrote that he would ask Xi to open China. He again signaled that the summit would focus on market access aimed at narrowing the U.S. trade deficit with China.

Taiwan is also likely to come up, with China expected to raise the issue. In a pre-trip briefing on May 11, a senior White House official said U.S. policy on Taiwan was not expected to change.

On May 15, the final day of Trump’s visit, the two leaders will continue talks in a smaller tea meeting and over lunch. Trump will then return to the U.S. after wrapping up his two-night, three-day trip.

Choi Su-jin, Hankyung.com reporter, naive@hankyung.com