China's Xi expected to press Trump on Taiwan, tariffs during summit

"Xi Jinping is expected to seek concessions on Taiwan and US tariffs when he meets United States President Donald Trump for a high-stakes summit taking place in the shadow of the war on Iran. Trump will arrive in China on Wednesday evening for a three-day visit that will mark the first trip by a US leader to the country since 2017, when Trump visited in the early days of his first term."

"Unlike Trump, who is renowned for his mercurial policymaking, Xi is widely seen as predictable in his goals for the summit, particularly as they concern Beijing's longstanding core interests related to national security and territorial integrity. At the top of that list is Taiwan. While Taiwan's government considers itself the head of a de facto sovereign state, Beijing views the island as an inalienable part of its territory."

"The US formally cut ties with Taiwan also known as the Republic of China decades ago, but is committed to aiding the self-governing democracy's defence under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act. Under the law, Washington has provided Taiwan with billions of dollars in arms and pursued cooperation in areas such as military training and intelligence sharing, which Beijing considers interference in its internal affairs."

"The US government officially acknowledges that China views Taiwan as part of its territory, but does not express a stance on whether it agrees. Washington is also intentionally vague about whether it would intervene to defend Taiwan if China sought to annex it by force. In a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made clear that Taiwan would be raised at the summit, describing the issue as the biggest risk in the China-US relationship, according to a Chinese readout of the call."

Xi Jinping is expected to seek concessions on Taiwan and US tariffs during a high-stakes summit with Donald Trump. Trump will visit China for three days, the first US leader trip since 2017. Xi is viewed as predictable in pursuing Beijing’s core national security and territorial integrity interests, with Taiwan at the top. Taiwan’s government treats itself as a de facto sovereign state, while Beijing views the island as an inalienable part of China. The US ended formal ties with Taiwan decades ago but supports its defense under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, providing arms and cooperation such as training and intelligence sharing. Beijing views this as interference, and the US remains intentionally vague about intervention if China uses force.

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