China cautious about Trump-Xi summit amid growing tensions

China is cautious about scheduling a summit between President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, the country's top leader, as both sides work to navigate a range of complex issues.

While Trump has expressed willingness to meet Xi, Chinese officials and experts remain wary, with their focus on negotiating key details before agreeing to a high-level meeting, Caliber.Az reports citing foreign media.

Senator Steve Daines, a Republican from Montana, visited Beijing this month as an informal representative for Trump, with one of his main goals being to lay the groundwork for a potential summit. After meeting with China’s Vice Premier for Economic Policy, He Lifeng, Daines suggested that the summit could occur by the end of the year, though the process is slower than many in Washington expected.

On the Chinese side, Communist Party officials and government advisers have expressed concern over Trump’s aggressive and often unpredictable actions. They have been caught off guard by his rapid-fire moves on tariffs, Greenland, and his treatment of foreign leaders, including Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. These actions have led to caution when considering the timing of a summit, with Chinese officials hesitant to commit until key negotiations are worked out.

As tensions continue to simmer, a new round of tariffs set to take effect this week threatens to escalate the trade dispute. The Trump administration has yet to outline the specifics of a deal that China would find acceptable. According to Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, “The Chinese side believes the Trump administration has not really figured out what is the way to deal with China and make a deal.”

China has also expressed concerns about Trump’s recent tariffs on Chinese goods. In a video call with Jamieson Greer, the US Trade Representative, Vice Premier He Lifeng voiced concern over the imposition of 10 percent tariffs on Chinese products, which China has retaliated against by imposing its own tariffs on American goods, including fossil fuels and agricultural products.

Experts have mentioned the possibility of a Trump-Xi meeting during the United Nations General Assembly in September, but it remains unclear whether the two governments can make sufficient progress by then. The Chinese foreign ministry did not provide any information on the possible timing of a summit.

Amid these challenges, Senator Daines's trip to Beijing was the second congressional visit to China in over five years. Despite his outreach, Beijing has not rewarded the American side. In an unexpected move, China halted nearly all imports of U.S. beef on March 16, affecting American ranchers, particularly from Daines’s home state of Montana.

The beef trade disruption underscores the tension between the two nations and highlights the complexity of any potential summit. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not commented on the issue surrounding the beef export licenses.

By Vafa Guliyeva