WASHINGTON/BEIJING: US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold their seventh face-to-face meeting this week as Trump visits China for the first time since 2017.
The upcoming summit is expected to focus on the Iran conflict, trade disputes, Taiwan, and broader US-China relations as both countries navigate rising geopolitical and economic tensions.
Since 2017, Trump and Xi have met at major international summits and state visits, with discussions often centered on trade, security, technology, and regional stability.
2017: First meetings amid trade tensions
Trump and Xi first met in April 2017 at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, shortly after Trump began his first presidential term.
The meeting came after Trump criticized China’s trade policies during his election campaign and broke diplomatic convention by speaking with Taiwan’s then-president Tsai Ing-wen before taking office.
Despite early tensions, both leaders publicly described the talks as productive. However, the summit was overshadowed by US airstrikes in Syria during Xi’s visit.
The two leaders met again in July 2017 during the G20 summit in Hamburg, where discussions focused on North Korea’s nuclear programme and economic relations.
Later that year, Trump visited Beijing for a three-day state visit that included meetings with Chinese officials and business executives. The trip produced several business agreements, although trade tensions continued to grow.
Trade war shapes later meetings
By 2018, US-China relations had become increasingly strained after Washington imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods.
Trump and Xi met during the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in December 2018 and agreed to begin negotiations on trade disputes, intellectual property concerns, and technology issues.
The following year, at the 2019 G20 summit in Osaka, the two leaders announced steps aimed at easing trade tensions, including renewed negotiations and reduced tariff escalation.
The countries later signed a “phase one” trade agreement under which China pledged increased purchases of American goods while the United States rolled back some tariffs.
2025 meeting focused on tariff truce
Trump and Xi met again in October 2025 during the APEC summit in Busan, South Korea, marking their first in-person meeting in six years.
The summit came after escalating tariff measures between the two countries, with both sides imposing heavy duties on imports.
Following the talks, Washington and Beijing announced a one-year pause in the trade war. The agreement included partial tariff reductions by the United States and renewed Chinese purchases of US agricultural exports.
New summit expected to address global conflicts and trade
Trump’s latest visit to China is expected to include discussions on the US-Israel conflict involving Iran, Taiwan, trade policy, and regional security issues.
The meeting comes at a time of heightened tensions in global energy markets and continued competition between the world’s two largest economies.
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