Chinese and U.S. flags fly near the Bund before a U.S. trade delegation meets with a Chinese trade delegation in Shanghai, China, July 30, 2019.
Ally Song | Reuters
BEIJING — The United States and China are rallying their East Asian ties ahead of a long-awaited presidential summit in Beijing later this week.
Trade negotiators from the two countries are scheduled to meet in Seoul, South Korea, ahead of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
The packed itinerary reflects the regional dynamics affecting U.S.-China relations, and the summit is being closely watched by leaders around the world.
The full agenda is as follows:
Tuesday: Bestsellers in Japan
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will visit Japan on Monday and meet with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Japan, an Asian country, relies on the Middle East for approximately 75% of its oil imports, and is therefore one of the countries most affected by the Iran war.
Mr. Bessent’s visit comes at a time when relations between China and Japan have deteriorated after Mr. Gaoichi suggested in November that Japan would support Taiwan if it was threatened by Chinese troops, prompting a sharp reaction from Beijing. Despite requests from the Chinese government, she did not soften her statements.
According to the White House, President Trump and Takaichi “dedicated themselves to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” during their visit to the United States in March.
Japan is closely monitoring official language on Taiwan after the Trump-Xi summit, with the US president saying on Monday that arms sales to Taipei were on the agenda of the summit.
Wednesday: US-China trade talks in South Korea
According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, Vice Premier He Lifeng will lead a delegation to South Korea from Tuesday to Wednesday for trade negotiations with the United States. The document does not mention any other meetings, but it does mention the summit between President Trump and Xi in Busan, South Korea, last October.
It’s unclear whether Bessent took into account the difference in U.S. time zones, but his announcement only said Wednesday that he would “stop in Seoul to meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.”
This points to a tight planning schedule for this week’s summit in Beijing, and the resulting deliverables. China did not formally acknowledge the talks until Monday.
“In our view, the summit will be more focused on avoiding unnecessary escalation of tensions and managing risks, rather than building structural mechanisms or building deep friendships,” Ting Lu, Nomura’s chief China economist, said in a note on Monday.
“The most pressing topic is the Iran-Hormuz crisis,” he said.
Thursday: President Trump of China
President Trump is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday night, the White House said.
The next morning, President Xi will participate in a welcome ceremony, hold bilateral talks with President Xi, and then tour the historic Temple of Heaven, a 15th-century landmark building in central Beijing. The evening will conclude with a state banquet.
The White House has invited more than a dozen top US officials to accompany President Trump on his visit to China. Reader includes: tesla CEO Elon Musk apple CEO Tim Cook and boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg. However, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang was not on the list.
China’s imports of Boeing planes, U.S. soybeans and beef are likely to increase as a result of the Trump-Xi summit, but are unlikely to recover to the highest levels seen in recent history, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit China.
EIU analysts said China’s purchases are likely to be limited by U.S. concessions on high-tech exports, which in turn will be constrained by Washington’s power dynamics.
Friday: President Trump leaves Beijing
The US president will enjoy tea and a working lunch with President Xi before leaving China.
As discussed at last fall’s Busan summit, President Xi is scheduled to visit the United States later this year, and the conclusion of this week’s talks in Beijing will be closely watched for any indication of the exact date of his trip.
A Chinese leader visited the United States to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in 2023, but has not made an official state visit since 2015 during the Obama administration. President Trump also visited China in 2017 during his first term, but his successor Joe Biden decided not to visit Asia.
President Xi may visit the United States in December for the G20 meeting in Florida. President Trump is scheduled to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Shenzhen in November, and the two leaders may meet again at that time.
Next week: Possible visit by President Putin
Expectations are rising that Russian leader Vladimir Putin could visit Beijing as early as Monday, May 18, capping off high-level political engagements.
Trump’s and expected visit to Putin will bring together more than a dozen leaders who have visited Beijing in the first five months of 2026 alone, as China’s influence grows.
Prior to Mr. Trump, Mr. Xi hosted Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon. Last week, Iran’s foreign minister also visited Beijing for the first time since the Iran War.
Cui Xiangjun, a professor at the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, said Iran will definitely be discussed at the Trump-Xi summit.
China is one of the few countries that has relations with Iran and other Gulf states, he noted, noting that Beijing is willing to help defuse tensions. Regarding the larger issue of U.S.-China relations, Cui stressed that this week’s meeting between the two presidents is just the beginning of further discussions.
