High ceremony, low expectations as Trump meets Xi in Beijing

On 11 May, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that US President Donald Trump will pay a three-day state visit to China beginning 13 May. The White House also released details of the itinerary, with the highly anticipated Xi-Trump meeting set to take place on 14 May. 

Trade and economic issues, Taiwan and Iran are expected to be key topics. China aims to secure concessions from the US on the Taiwan issue, while Washington is expected to pressure Beijing over Iran.

This will be Trump’s first time on Chinese soil since 2017, and the first visit to China by a US president in nine years. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last met in October last year during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea.

Originally scheduled at the end of March, Trump’s China visit was postponed because of the conflict involving Iran, as the White House announced in late March that Trump would visit China from 14 to 15 May instead. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs only announced on 11 May that, at Xi’s invitation, Trump would pay a state visit to China from 13 to 15 May.

In response to a question from a Chinese reporter during a regular press conference on 11 May, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Xi will have “in-depth exchanges of views with President Trump on major issues concerning China-US relations and world peace and development”.

He said, “Heads-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for China-US relations. China stands ready to work with the US to expand cooperation and manage differences in the spirit of equality, respect and mutual benefit, and provide more stability and certainty for a transforming and volatile world.”

According to the itinerary released by White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly, Trump will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening. On Thursday morning, he will attend a welcome ceremony, after which the Chinese and US leaders will hold bilateral talks. On Thursday afternoon, Trump and Xi will visit the Temple of Heaven, and Trump will attend a state banquet in the evening. On Friday, the two leaders will hold a bilateral tea gathering and working lunch, after which Trump will return to Washington.

According to reports by Bloomberg and Agence France-Presse, Kelly also said during a call with reporters, “This will be a visit of tremendous symbolic significance… The American people can expect the president to deliver more good deals on behalf of our country.” 

She also said that the focus of Trump’s trip is “rebalancing the relationship with China and prioritising reciprocity and fairness to restore American economic independence”.

Kelly also said that China and the US would continue discussions on establishing a board of trade to oversee trade in non-sensitive goods between the two countries, and a board of investment. 

A US official revealed that both sides would continue discussions on Chinese purchases in US agriculture, aerospace and energy sectors, and that announcements could come during or shortly after Trump’s visit.

US officials also said that Trump is expected to pressure China over the Iran issue, adding that China’s financial support for Iran, as well as potential arms exports, would also be discussed. 

Scott Bessent, US treasury secretary, had earlier said the two heads of state would discuss Iran and had called on China to help push for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

US officials also said that the Taiwan issue is expected to be included on the agenda, and that there is not expected to be any change in US policy towards Taiwan. Two other officials also mentioned that artificial intelligence, a matter of concern to the US, would be discussed during the meeting.

The New York Times summarised the issues Beijing is focused on as the “Three T’s”: tariffs, technology and Taiwan. The US’s economic and trade concerns were broken down into the “Five B’s”: China’s purchases of Boeing aircraft, US beef and soybeans, as well as the creation of a board of investment and a board of trade.

China’s lead representative for China-US economic and trade affairs, Vice-Premier He Lifeng, and his US counterpart Bessent are set to meet in Seoul on 13 May, where they are expected to finalise the remaining details for the two countries’ heads of state meeting.

Zhu Feng, dean of the School of International Studies at Nanjing University, told Lianhe Zaobao (LHZB) that He and Bessent meeting on the eve of the China-US leaders’ summit suggests that Beijing remains most concerned about economic and trade issues. Zhu added that Beijing’s repeated emphasis in recent months that the Taiwan issue lies at the “very core of China’s core interests” reflects its deep dissatisfaction with Washington’s announcement last December of a large-scale arms sale package to Taiwan.

He also said that, amid growing global turbulence and instability, China-US relations require greater stability than ever, and that reaching a mutual understanding on the Taiwan issue would help strengthen strategic coordination and control between the two sides.

Meanwhile, Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, assessed that Trump would not alter US policy towards Taiwan merely because Beijing purchases American soybeans or Boeing aircraft. Likewise, Beijing has not indicated what it would be willing to offer in exchange for a change in Washington’s Taiwan policy.

On 11 May, China stepped up its messaging that China-US cooperation can deliver mutual benefits. State media reported that China’s Ministry of Public Security’s narcotics control bureau and the US Drug Enforcement Administration jointly cracked a drug smuggling and trafficking case in early April, resulting in the arrest of two Chinese nationals and three Americans.

That same day, China’s foreign ministry released a bilingual video titled Peaceful Coexistence, stating, “Neither China nor the US can remodel each other, but they can choose how they want to engage… The Earth is too small for China and the US to turn against and confront each other.”

According to the itinerary released by the White House, Trump’s China visit includes attending a series of high-level bilateral meetings and, on 14 May, joining Xi on a visit to the Temple of Heaven, the imperial complex where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties performed sacrificial rites.

On 11 May, LHZB journalist Meng Dandan visited the Temple of Heaven and found visitors sightseeing and taking photos as usual. The park’s online reservation system also showed that plenty of tickets remained available for entry to the park and its various attractions from 13 to 15 May.

However, certain details observed on site suggested that extensive high-level security preparations have already swiftly been put in place.

Around the major attractions within the Temple of Heaven, including the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Imperial Vault of Heaven, black sedans and commercial vehicles bearing licence plates marked “京A… JW” were seen slowly making their way through the crowds of visitors taking photographs. In Beijing, vehicles with licence plates ending in “JW” are typically state security vehicles used to ensure the safety and transport of senior leaders.

Around various attractions within the Temple of Heaven, there were noticeably more fit young men in black or white T-shirts, and uniformed security personnel. At the entrance to the Circular Mound Altar site, a man in black showed his identification to a security guard, stating that he was from the “armed police”, seeking entry to “inspect the terrain”.

A security guard stationed in a crowded area told Meng that he might be reassigned to another post because “Trump is coming”.

Nanjing University’s Zhu observed that the Temple of Heaven was a site in ancient China used for imperial sacrificial rituals. He noted that Trump is known for his pronounced religious sensibilities, and suggested that the itinerary “largely reflects Trump’s personal preferences”.

As Trump’s China visit approaches, speculation over which hotel he will stay in has also drawn public attention.

During his visit to China in November 2017 in his first term, Trump stayed at Beijing’s St. Regis, near Jianguomen. Several past US presidents, including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, also stayed at the same hotel during their visits to China.

However, the hotel remains open to public bookings this week, suggesting that it is unlikely to be involved in hosting arrangements.

According to the travel booking platform ctrip.com, both the Four Seasons Hotel Beijing in Liangmaqiao and Kempinski Hotel Beijing Yansha Center are fully booked from Tuesday to Friday and are no longer accepting external reservations. As a result, these hotels have also been widely speculated to be Trump’s accommodation options.

In addition, the US Embassy in Beijing, located within a ten-minute walk of the two hotels, has stepped up security measures since last weekend, with vehicles no longer permitted to stop outside the embassy premises.

Nine years after the last visit, a US president is once again set to travel to China, with Beijing’s landmarks and hotels placed on high alert, and even the runways at Beijing’s airport reflecting the full scale of preparations for Trump’s visit.

Since the beginning of the month, several US military transport aircraft have landed at Beijing Capital International Airport, delivering cargo comprising security supplies, Secret Service equipment and communications gear.

This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as ““习特会”本周四登场 仪式与博弈同步上演” and “特朗普在北京期间去哪儿住哪儿？”.

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