Donald Trump to Meet Xi Jinping in Beijing To Discuss Iran War, China Trade and Taiwan Concerns

Donald Trump is due in Beijing on Wednesday evening for talks with President Xi Jinping, with the Iran war, Chinese purchases of Iranian oil, trade tensions, Russia, and Taiwan all expected to feature high on the agenda during the three-day visit.

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said an opening ceremony and formal meeting would take place on Thursday morning, with the trip ending on Friday, and confirmed that the United States plans to welcome the Chinese leader on a return visit later in the year.

Iran war and China relations at centre of Trump visit

Kelly described this week's visit as being of "tremendous symbolic significance" and said discussions would emphasise "rebalancing the relationship with China and prioritising reciprocity and fairness to restore American economic independence", underlining how the White House links strategic concerns about Iran, energy security and the broader economic relationship with Beijing.

The journey had originally been planned for earlier this year but was delayed in March because of the US-Israel war on Iran, which has created political pressure for Trump within the United States and among allies, as governments try to manage economic disruption and security risks tied to the Iran war.

Iran war, China and global oil flows through Hormuz

A senior administration official told reporters on Sunday, in an anonymous briefing, that Trump could "apply pressure" on Beijing over Iran, including Chinese purchases of Iranian oil and Tehran's access to potential dual-use military and civilian equipment that Washington fears might strengthen Iran’s capabilities during the war.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week alleged that Beijing’s energy trade supports Tehran financially, telling Fox News that China is "funding" Iran and adding: "Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism, and China has been buying 90 percent of their energy, so they are funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism," language that highlights how oil sales are likely to be a tense discussion point.

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz after US-Israeli attacks, limiting traffic on a vital energy route, leaving some seafarers stuck on vessels in contested waters as Washington and Tehran clash, while disruptions from the Iran war have hit the global economy hard, with Asian countries dependent on Middle East imports and Southeast Asian leaders addressing these shocks at a recent ASEAN summit.

China has publicly called for the Iran war to end and urged that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened during a visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arraghchi, while hosting Arraghchi in Beijing last week, yet Chinese officials continue to reject Washington’s "unilateral" sanctions on Iran’s oil sector, reflecting Beijing’s view that US measures lack broader international backing.

Alongside Iran and energy, Trump is also expected to raise concerns about China’s support for Russia, as well as trade disputes and access to rare earth minerals used by the United States technology industry, and business leaders from aerospace company Boeing and several agricultural firms are travelling with the US delegation to explore commercial issues during the trip.

The anonymous senior official also stressed that Washington’s position on Taiwan remains unchanged, keeping one of the most sensitive issues in US-China relations firmly on the table as China continues to regard the self-ruled island as part of its territory while the United States maintains strong security and economic ties with Taiwan.

As Trump heads to Beijing, both governments face pressure over the Iran war, global energy routes, Chinese oil purchases from Iran, Taiwan, Russia, rare earth supplies and trade disputes, and officials on each side are preparing for difficult conversations while signalling that they still want the relationship to remain manageable.