Trump to visit China for 1st time in nearly 9 years amid global tensions

US President Donald Trump will visit China from May 13-15 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, China’s Foreign Ministry announced early Monday.

The ministry posted the statement on the US social media platform X, confirming plans previously announced by the US side.

The visit marks Trump’s first trip to China in almost nine years.

Former US President Joe Biden did not visit China during his term, while the last leader-level visit from the US to China took place in November 2017 when Trump made a state visit during his first term as president.

Trump’s latest visit comes at a critical moment as tensions remain high in the Middle East following the conflict triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran and its retaliatory attacks.

The trip had previously been scheduled for March 31 to April 2 but was postponed due to Trump’s need to focus on the war involving Iran, according to earlier reports.

The conflict in the Middle East is expected to be a key topic during the talks.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have become increasingly strained during Trump’s second term amid disputes over US tariff increases and technology restrictions as well as China’s moves to tighten control over rare earth elements, a sector in which it dominates global supply.

In addition to economic and trade issues, the two sides are also expected to discuss Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, following the recent US approval of large-scale arms sales to the island.