TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - United States President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday evening, May 13, for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meeting is receiving global attention due to the possibility of discussing the Iran war and the Taiwan issue.
As reported by ANTARA, Trump was accompanied by more than a dozen top executives from major American companies. He hopes to strike a major business deal between the world's two most powerful nations, despite long-standing trade frictions and fierce competition for supremacy in new technologies.
In final preparations for the two-day summit, which will run through Friday, May 15, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met in South Korea hours before Trump's arrival. Bessent and He are two central figures who have shaped U.S.-China relations since the second Trump administration began more than a year ago.
On his trip to Beijing, Trump said on social media that his first request of Xi was to "open up China." Referring to the leading executives traveling with him, he wrote, "These brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People's Republic (of China) to an even higher level."
They include Tesla's Elon Musk, Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Apple's Tim Cook, Boeing's Kelly Ortberg, and Goldman Sachs' David Solomon.
But for many officials in Asia and elsewhere, it appears that foremost among the many issues at stake are the prospects for a resolution to the war launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in late February, and whether Trump will change the U.S.'s declaratory policy on Taiwan.
Before departing for China, the first visit by a U.S. president in nearly a decade, Trump told reporters that he would have a "long conversation" with Xi about the conflict, given Beijing's close political and economic ties with Tehran.
"He's been somebody that we get along with. I think you're going to see that good things are going to happen. This is going to be a very exciting trip. A lot of good things are going to happen," Trump said.
China is the largest buyer of Iranian crude oil, which provides a vital economic lifeline for Tehran.
Showing signs of frustration over the lack of progress in talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and stabilize the Middle East, Trump is expected to ask Xi to persuade Iran to reach a deal with the U.S. However, Trump said on Tuesday, May 12, that he did not think the U.S. needed any help from China regarding Iran.
A day earlier, Trump said he would discuss U.S. arms sales to Taiwan with Xi, amid indications from Chinese officials that the topic would be a priority during their interactions. China views Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes foreign arms transfers to Taiwan.
In December, Trump announced an $11 billion arms sales package to Taiwan, the largest in history, which quickly drew a strong reaction from Beijing.
Trump marked the first presidential visit to China by a U.S. president since November 2017, when he traveled to Beijing during his first term.
Read: US, China Agree to Reject Strait of Hormuz Transit Fees
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