Trump confirms Xi’s visit as US-China trade talks reach crossroad

President Donald Trump announced that Chinese leader Xi Jinping would visit Washington in the “not too distant future,” amid rising trade tensions between the US and China.

Trump made this statement on March 17 while attending a board meeting at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Caliber.Az reports referring to international media.

Trump has intensified his trade battle with China, increasing tariffs on imports from the country to 20%. He has stated that these actions are a response to Beijing's failure to control the flow of illegal fentanyl and the precursor chemicals used to produce it.

The Wall Street Journal reported that US and Chinese officials are discussing a potential “birthday summit” in June, where the two leaders — both born in the middle of the month — could meet for the first time since Trump returned to the White House. However, the US president did not specify a timeline for the meeting.

China has accused Trump of using fentanyl as a pretext to raise tariffs. Officials from China’s Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Public Security have previously stated that Beijing has taken strong measures to combat drug trafficking. A Foreign Ministry official suggested that Washington should offer a “big thank you” rather than impose tariffs, urging the Trump administration to resume negotiations.

Trade talks between the two countries have stalled, with both sides at an impasse. Beijing has said that Washington has not provided clear steps for lifting tariffs related to fentanyl. In response, Trump’s team rejected the claim, asserting that the White House has communicated its expectations through diplomatic channels.

Trump’s tariff policies are part of a broader effort to reshape global trade flows, which he claims are imbalanced, and to generate revenue for the US. Last week, he imposed a 25% levy on steel and aluminium imports and is planning to implement extensive reciprocal tariffs in early April to counter import taxes and other barriers to US goods imposed by other countries.

China has retaliated with tariffs, though these measures have been more limited compared to its response during Trump’s first term. After Trump doubled the tariff on Chinese imports to 20% earlier this month, Beijing announced levies of up to 15% on US agricultural goods and imposed a ban on trade with some US defence companies.

Trump has expressed openness to talks with China about a new trade deal, despite escalating pressure on Beijing. He has often praised Xi, with whom he negotiated a trade deal in 2020. That deal required China to crack down on the theft of US trade secrets and to purchase an additional $200 billion in American products. However, the relationship soured after the Covid-19 pandemic, which Trump has blamed on China.

Trump and Xi spoke in January, shortly before Trump’s inauguration for his second term, discussing trade relations, the potential sale of US operations of ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok app, and efforts to address fentanyl trafficking. Trump also mentioned speaking with Xi after his inauguration, though he did not specify when the conversation took place. When asked about this, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson referred inquiries to the January call.

By Tamilla Hasanova