By Kemi Osukoya | GEOECONOMICS
President Donald Trump will travel to Beijing this week for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as both governments seek to stabilize a relationship increasingly shaped by trade tensions, technology controls, geopolitical rivalry and the fallout from the conflict in the Middle East.
The White House said the visit would focus on reciprocity and fairness in economic ties while advancing U.S. security interests, with discussions expected to cover trade management mechanisms, investment coordination, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and Iran.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, U.S.-China relations have been refocused on what matters most: rebuilding the safety, security, and prosperity of Americans,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told reporters Sunday ahead of the trip. “President Trump’s upcoming meeting with President Xi will advance these goals with a clear-eyed view of the economic and security realities of today.”
Trump is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening before holding formal bilateral talks with Xi on Thursday, followed by a state banquet and additional working sessions on Friday. The White House said the president would also tour the Temple of Heaven alongside Xi.
Administration officials said the summit is expected to produce agreements aimed at rebalancing trade flows and expanding commercial cooperation in sectors including aerospace, agriculture and energy. Central to the talks are proposed U.S.-China “Board of Trade” and “Board of Investment” frameworks that would create government-to-government channels for managing trade and investment disputes.
“The Board of Trade will allow the United States and China to manage trade between the government of the United States and the government of China across non-sensitive goods,” Kelly said. “The Board of Investment will provide a government-to-government forum for discussing investment-related issues.”
One senior administration official said the proposed trade mechanism could initially cover “double digit millions” in commerce, adding that both governments had been discussing potential Chinese purchase commitments involving aircraft, agricultural products and other industrial goods.
“The Chinese economy is governed in a way that is obviously centralized,” the official said. “What we have found over the past year with the Chinese—and a helpful way forward—is for us to identify areas of mutual interest in trade such as agricultural purchases, purchases of aircraft, et cetera.”
U.S and Chinese officials are scheduled to hold two-day economic and trade talks in Seoul ahead of Trump-Xi meetings this week. The U.S delegation will be led by U.S Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S.T.R Administrator Jamieson Greer while the Chinese delegation will be led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, building on previous talks.
The talks come as Washington and Beijing attempt to prevent broader economic escalation after a year marked by tariff disputes, semiconductor restrictions, and tightening export controls. U.S. officials said negotiations are also continuing over a rare earths arrangement reached in Busan last year, though no decision has yet been made on extending the framework.
“What both sides want is stability,” one senior official said. “Both sides are interested in maintaining it.”
The geopolitical backdrop has shifted sharply since plans for the summit were first discussed earlier this year. The conflict involving Iran and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz have elevated energy security and regional stability to the top of the agenda.
A senior administration official said Trump is expected to press Xi on Beijing’s support for Iran and Russia, including concerns surrounding dual-use technologies, sanctions evasion and energy revenues.
“The president has spoken multiple times with President Xi Jinping about the topic of Iran and about the topic of Russia,” the official said. “I would expect the president to apply pressure, and, as you said, he has done so before.”
Artificial intelligence and cyber security are also expected to feature prominently in the discussions, reflecting growing concern in Washington over the strategic implications of advanced Chinese AI systems. Officials said the summit could open the door to a formal communications channel dedicated to AI coordination and risk management.
“In many areas of intense focus between the U.S. and China, it’s good to have a channel of communication,” another administration official said. “We’re going to take this opportunity with the leaders meeting to open up a conversation and see if we should establish channels of communication on AI matters.”
Taiwan remains one of the most politically sensitive issues heading into the summit. Administration officials stressed there had been no change in longstanding U.S. policy, even as Trump has continued to approve large-scale arms sales to Taipei. One official noted the administration had authorized more arms sales to Taiwan in its first year than during the entirety of the previous administration.
“There’s been no change of U.S. policy,” the official said. “We don’t expect to see any changes in U.S. policy going forward.”
Beyond Asia, the summit is also being closely watched across Africa, where the U.S. and China are intensifying competition over critical minerals, infrastructure financing, and industrial supply chains tied to the global energy transition.
For several African governments, the renewed U.S.-China rivalry is increasingly viewed less as a geopolitical contest and more as a negotiating opportunity. Countries rich in copper, cobalt, lithium and rare earths are pressing both Washington and Beijing for deals that include local processing, technology transfer and manufacturing capacity rather than simply exporting raw materials.
China enters the summit with a deeply entrenched commercial position across the continent, reinforced by decades of infrastructure investment and state-backed financing. Beijing has also moved in recent months to deepen trade ties with African economies, including expanded commercial engagement with South Africa and broader zero-tariff access for goods from several African countries. The measures are designed to strengthen China’s position as Africa’s largest trading partner while reinforcing supply chains tied to industrial minerals and manufacturing.
At the same time, Washington has accelerated efforts to expand its own economic footprint across Africa through export credit financing, strategic infrastructure partnerships, and supply-chain agreements tied to critical minerals. African policymakers are increasingly seeking to leverage competition between the two powers to secure more favorable financing terms, greater industrial participation, and stronger market access.
Countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Namibia have all pushed for more downstream mineral processing inside Africa as governments seek to capture a greater share of the economic value tied to electric vehicles, battery manufacturing and clean energy technologies.
Analysts say the meeting reflects an attempt by both the U.S. and China to reduce volatility in the bilateral relationship while protecting core strategic interests.
Scott Kennedy, a China economist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies-a Washington-based think tank, described the summit agenda as centered around “the five Bs and the three Ts”— Boeing, beef, beans, the Board of Trade, and the Board of Investment on the U.S. side, and Taiwan, tariffs and technology on the Chinese side.
Kennedy said both governments appear eager to avoid escalation even as strategic rivalry intensifies. “China basically comes out stronger as long as there’s not a blow-up in the meeting,” he said, arguing that Beijing believes its relative position has improved amid U.S. tariff disputes and instability in the Middle East.
Kennedy’s colleague Bonny Lin said Taiwan would likely remain central to Xi’s messaging during the talks, with Beijing expected to push Washington to scale back military and political support for Taipei.
“China is signaling very clearly right before the Trump-Xi meeting that getting Taiwan right will be very critical to the overall U.S.-China relationship,” Lin stated.
Former Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard Kagan added that the summit’s broader significance lies in both leaders attempting to demonstrate they can manage the world’s most consequential bilateral relationship without allowing tensions to spiral into open confrontation.
“Virtually every country in the region wants to avoid a really bad relationship between the U.S. and China,” Kagan said. “Nobody really thinks they have a stake in a really good relationship either.”
Economists say both sides also face mounting pressure to stabilize trade and supply chains as global markets absorb the impact of energy disruptions and slowing growth.
Philip Luck, Director of Economics Program and Chair of International Business at CSIS said the conflict in the Middle East poses significant risks for China’s export-driven economy, particularly if prolonged energy market disruptions trigger a broader global slowdown.
“A global recession would be really dramatic for the Chinese economy,” Luck noted. “Both sides really do have aligned incentives” when it comes to keeping shipping lanes open and reducing further instability.
