Bloomberg: Beijing urges swift action to secure Trump-Xi summit in fall

With time ticking toward a potential fall summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, senior Chinese officials and experts are urging both sides to intensify preparations to ensure the high-stakes meeting materialises.

Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University and an adviser to China’s Foreign Ministry, warned on July 4 that the window for organising a productive summit is rapidly closing, Caliber.Az reports via Bloomberg.

“If we are going to make this happen, we need to make preparations as soon as possible, and time is running out,” Wu said at the World Peace Forum in Beijing.

Wu’s call for urgency comes amid cautious optimism that relations between the world’s two largest economies are beginning to stabilise after a prolonged period of confrontation, trade disputes, and geopolitical rivalry. His comments follow a recent breakthrough in trade talks that led to a limited truce, with both countries starting to deliver on mutual commitments.

Beijing has resumed shipments of rare earth magnets—crucial for high-tech and defence industries—though still below pre-curb levels. In return, Washington has lifted certain export restrictions, allowing ethane, chip-design software, and jet engine components to flow more freely to China.

According to Wu, “In the last one week, I have seen tangible progress by both sides… that is quite a positive sign that finally we get the ball rolling.”

The White House, for its part, has begun reaching out to US business leaders to gauge interest in joining Trump on a potential visit to China later this year. While no official date has been set, Trump is said to favour a meeting with Xi on Chinese soil—possibly timed around his expected trip to South Korea for the APEC summit in October.

Wu stressed that successful summit planning must go beyond trade envoys. “You cannot just let the two economic teams arrange for the state visit,” he said, calling for broader diplomatic engagement, including between foreign ministries and law enforcement.

He also advised that Trump’s Beijing visit should focus on two key messages: reaffirming China as America’s most important economic partner, and clearly stating that the US does not support Taiwan’s independence—an issue seen by Beijing as a red line.

“Trump, he’s a smarty guy,” Wu said. “He knows how to make a big deal for the sake of US national interests. He will say the right thing when he’s in Beijing.”

His remarks came a day after senior Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao described war between the US and China as “unimaginable,” while also noting the risk of confrontation over Taiwan and the South China Sea.

By Vugar Khalilov