US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to open a closely watched summit in Beijing as Washington and Beijing seek to stabilize a fragile economic truce while maneuvering around issues related to Iran, Taiwan, and control over critical supply chains.

Trump, who last visited China in 2017, is scheduled to arrive on May 13 and hold a series of meetings and public events with Xi on May 14 and 15. The visit marks the first direct meeting between the two leaders in more than six months, in an effort to restore some stability to relations strained by tariffs, export restrictions on critical minerals, and broader geopolitical disputes.

Although the summit is expected to cover a wide range of economic and geopolitical issues from US soybean exports to Chinas relationship with Russia the Iran war will also be on the agenda, according to senior US officials who briefed reporters on May 10.

One official said that President Trump has spoken several times with President Xi Jinping about Iran, adding that Trump expects to apply pressure on Beijing, which relies on discounted Iranian oil as part of their mutually beneficial relationship, in order to help secure an agreement to end the war that has now entered its third month.

While the fallout from the Iran war, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, will overshadow the summit, US officials and analysts believe trade tensions will remain the central focus when Trump and Xi meet at the Great Hall of the People.

Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief economist for Asia-Pacific at French investment bank Natixis, said: President Xi wants to reduce US support for Taiwan, particularly by pushing to delay or limit American arms sales. She added that Beijing is also seeking relief from US export restrictions on advanced technology and protection for its role in global supply chains.

Seeking a trade truce

The two sides are also expected to sign a series of agreements involving purchases of agricultural products such as soybeans and Boeing aircraft, alongside discussions on creating new frameworks to facilitate bilateral trade and investment.

The Trump administration imposed steep tariffs on China at the start of 2024 following the beginning of Trumps second term, but trade tensions later eased after the US Supreme Court limited some tariffs and ruled others unlawful over recent months. Trump and Xi also reached an agreement in South Korea in October 2025 that reduced tensions by easing some export restrictions, including shipments of rare earth minerals to the United States.

Analysts believe Beijing will attempt to leverage its dominance over critical minerals and rare earth supplies a group of 17 elements essential for everything from smartphones to fighter jets to strengthen its negotiating position.

Michael Clarke, a China policy expert at the Center for American Progress in Washington, said the United States has realized that China possesses tools it can use whenever it chooses because it dominates the mining and processing of rare earths and critical minerals needed for nearly everything.

China accounts for more than 70% of global rare earth mining, 90% of processing and separation operations, and 93% of related magnet manufacturing.

In October 2025, China unveiled a legal framework allowing it to block exports of rare earths and dual-use components to any country, reinforcing restrictions it had already imposed months earlier on seven strategic rare metals important to defense industries.

In return, the Trump-Xi meeting in South Korea suspended some of those restrictions in exchange for easing certain US tariffs and resuming Chinese imports of American soybeans.

Rana Mitter, professor of US-Asia relations at Harvard University, said: Both sides understand they possess tools capable of inflicting serious damage on the other, adding that this is one reason the current trade truce has continued and is expected to remain in place at least until October, and possibly longer if Washington chooses to extend it.

Iran war casts shadow over summit

Although trade negotiations and official ceremonies will dominate the headlines, the Iran war will weigh heavily on the summit.

Just one week before Trumps arrival in Beijing, China highlighted its close ties with Tehran by hosting the Iranian foreign minister.

The US Treasury Department also recently imposed sanctions on five private Chinese refineries, including one of the countrys largest, over processing Iranian crude oil. Beijing responded with an unusually public challenge, urging companies to ignore US sanctions, although financial regulators quietly advised major state-owned banks to suspend new loans to blacklisted refineries.

The US State Department additionally sanctioned four Chinese entities on May 8, accusing them of providing satellite imagery that assisted Iranian military strikes against US forces in the Middle East, accusations strongly rejected by Chinas foreign ministry.

China and the United States share a strategic and economic interest in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which handled one-fifth of global oil and gas flows before the war. However, analysts say the key question is whether Beijing is willing to pressure Tehran and what it would demand from Washington in return.

China will not help Trump reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless it receives something of very significant value, Clarke said, suggesting that such concessions could include easing US restrictions on advanced technology exports such as AI chips, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and jet engines.

What about Taiwan?

Taiwan is also expected to be a major issue where Beijing seeks concessions.

China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has pledged to eventually bring it under its control, by force if necessary. Beijing remains deeply concerned about US arms sales to the self-governed island and may push the Trump administration to formally oppose Taiwanese independence.

Washington approved a record $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan in December and is reportedly preparing another package that could exceed $14 billion, although reports suggest notification to Congress has been delayed to avoid disrupting the summit.

Trump told reporters on May 11 that arms sales to Taiwan would be among the issues discussed with Xi.

In recent years, Beijing has intensified its gray-zone pressure campaign against Taiwan through blockade simulation drills, cyberattacks, and increasingly aggressive information warfare operations.

China wants to make clear during the summit that it sees US support for Taiwan as a core issue, Mitter said, adding that changing Washingtons stance on Taiwan may be a more important and explicit objective than discussions surrounding Iran.

Nuclear weapons, artificial intelligence, and Russia

The summit agenda also includes artificial intelligence, nuclear weapons, and Chinas support for Russia during the war in Ukraine.

However, it remains unclear how deeply these issues will be discussed during the meetings.

Beijing has shown reluctance to engage in broad nuclear weapons talks and may seek to avoid substantive discussions on the matter. The Trump administration has also said it intends to raise concerns over Chinese financial support for Russia and establish a communication channel to avoid conflicts related to advanced AI models.

Garcia Herrero said: The summit may produce a short-term truce that temporarily stabilizes markets, but it is unlikely to resolve the deep structural rivalry between the two powers in technology, supply chains, and security.