SCMP Predicts Possible US-China Summit as Early as April
Xi and Trump Hope for Meeting in China
WSJ Reports Possibility of a "Birthday Summit" in June
Donald Trump, the President of the United States, may visit China as early as next month for a summit meeting with President Xi Jinping, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 11th, citing multiple sources. Amid escalating trade war tensions with retaliatory tariffs exchanged between the two sides, if the meeting between the leaders of the two countries takes place, it will be the first encounter between the U.S. and China since Trump took office at the White House. This move is interpreted as an effort to resolve issues both countries face, such as recession concerns, stock market crashes caused by tariff aftershocks, and inflation triggers.
SCMP quoted sources on the day saying that both leaders want to highlight the other's visit as a diplomatic achievement, but initial discussions are being made on the premise of President Trump visiting China. However, it is unclear how much progress has been made regarding this meeting. A Chinese source said, "Currently, Washington is undergoing rapid changes, making it more difficult for Beijing officials to communicate with their U.S. counterparts than during the Biden administration."
Another source said that President Trump has clearly expressed his desire to welcome President Xi at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, but Beijing hopes for Trump to visit China rather than the other way around. From President Xi's perspective, if Trump visits China after the "Lianghui" (China's largest annual political event), it can be seen as a "diplomatic victory." Conversely, if President Xi visits the U.S., it could be perceived as Xi pleading with Trump to stop tariff attacks amid escalating economic pressure on China.
SCMP speculated that the meeting between the two leaders could take place as early as April. The newspaper quoted a U.S. source saying, "The earliest possible time for President Trump to visit China is April." Earlier, Trump had expressed to his close aides his intention to visit China within 100 days of taking office, so an April visit would align with this schedule.
There are also talks of a meeting in the U.S. in June. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 10th that the U.S. and China have begun discussions about holding the first summit between President Trump and President Xi in the U.S. in June. WSJ cited sources saying that discussions about the U.S.-China summit are still in the early stages and noted that both Trump and Xi have birthdays in June, giving the meeting a "birthday summit" significance.
Discussions about the summit come as the Trump administration strengthens tariffs and trade measures against China. Since taking office in January, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada but postponed them, and announced plans to impose import tariffs on Europe and other trade partners. So far, China is the only country on which Trump has actually imposed a tariff bomb. The White House cited China as the main culprit in the U.S. fentanyl crisis and imposed tariffs in February, followed by an additional 10% tariff on China. The two countries remain highly tense over various issues, including trade conflicts, technology regulations, and the Taiwan issue.
Considering these circumstances, if a summit between President Trump and President Xi is realized, it is expected that consultations on overall trade issues, including tariffs, will proceed. If the trade war between the world's first and second largest economies by GDP, the U.S. and China, is resolved, the global economic shock caused by tariffs is expected to ease. Furthermore, the meeting between the U.S. and Chinese leaders will serve as an indicator of the direction of President Trump's China policy, SCMP predicted.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
