President Donald Trump will pay a state visit to China from May 13 to 15, Beijing confirmed on Monday, with trade tensions and the ongoing Iran war topping the agenda for talks between the two leaders.
The visit was announced by a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, who said Trump would travel at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. It will be the first visit by a sitting US president to China since 2017.
Trump had originally planned to travel in late March or early April but postponed the trip to concentrate on the Iran war. Washington and Beijing remain at odds over several key issues, including trade tariffs, the Middle East conflict, and Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.
US officials say Trump intends to press Xi on Iran, where China remains a significant buyer of Iranian oil largely through independent “teapot” refineries that depend on discounted crude from the Islamic republic while also seeking to ease the trade standoff between the two economies.
US Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly described the visit as one of “tremendous symbolic significance,” but stressed that Trump’s agenda goes beyond ceremony.
“The American people can expect the president to deliver more good deals on behalf of our country,” she told reporters.
The White House said the trip will include a tour of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing and a lavish state banquet.
