United States President Donald Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in May. This will be his first visit to China in eight years. The trip is closely watched and was postponed due to the ongoing Iran war.
Trumpās effort to reschedule the trip showed the Republican presidentās eagerness. He wanted to project confidence in a challenging Middle East war. At the same time, he aimed to manage a tense relationship between the worldās biggest economies.
Trump was initially slated to travel next week. Now, he will visit Beijing on May 14 and 15. He said this in a Truth Social post on Wednesday. Trump added that he would host Xi for a reciprocal visit in Washington later this year.
āOur Representatives are finalising preparations for these Historic Visits,ā Trump said. āI look forward to spending time with President Xi. It will be, I am sure, a Monumental Event.ā
Chinaās embassy said it had no information to provide on the announcement of the visit. Beijing normally does not detail Xiās schedule more than a few days in advance.
The long-scheduled trip has been repeatedly overtaken by events. Washingtonās broader effort to reset relations in the Asia Pacific region has also faced interruptions.
In February, the Supreme Court curtailed the US presidentās power to impose tariffs. This power was a source of leverage for Trump in negotiations with the USās third-biggest trading partner. Later that month, Trumpās joint military operation with Israel against Iran introduced a new point of tension with Beijing, Tehranās main oil buyer.
TrumpāsĀ last tripĀ to China, in 2017, was the most recent by a US president. Trumpās visit in May will be the leadersā first in-person talks since an October meeting in South Korea, where they agreed on a trade truce.
White House says Xi understands Trumpās reasons for delay
The two-day trip is set to combine the lavish pomp and circumstance that has become a feature of Trumpās trips abroad with hard-nosed diplomacy.
While the two sides could strike goodwill agreements in Beijing on trade in agriculture and airplane parts, they are also expected to discuss areas of deep tension like Taiwan, where little progress is expected.
Trump has dramatically ramped up US arms sales to Taiwan during his second term in office. The moves have angered Beijing, which claims the democratically governed island as its own territory.
The outcome of the war with Iran is uncertain. This conflict has shaken the global economy. It is unclear if it will be settled by the time of the Xi-Trump meeting.
Trump has sought support from the worldās major oil consumers. He has reached out to countries including China. His goal is to help counter Iranās efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz.
Trumpās request for assistance so far has largely been rebuffed. China, which imported around 12 million barrels of oil daily during the first two months of 2026, the most in the world, has not directly responded to his request.
Asked whether the war could wind down in time for the China trip, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that āweāve always estimated approximately four to six weeks. So you could do the math on thatā.
Leavitt also said Trump and Xi spoke about rescheduling the trip and that Xi had understood the reasons for doing so.
āPresident Xi realized this situation requires the president’s presence. It’s crucial during these combat operations,ā she said.
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