Trump arrives in Beijing for high-stakes talks with Xi

US President Donald Trump is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday for his first visit to China since 2017, where he will hold two days of talks with President Xi Jinping on Thursday and Friday. The two leaders will attempt to stabilize ties strained by trade disputes, the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran and other geopolitical tensions, with their meeting expected to cover Iran, Taiwan, artificial intelligence and the possible extension of a critical minerals deal that allows rare earth minerals to flow from China to the United States. This will be their first face-to-face talks in more than six months since they met in October 2024 in South Korea, where they agreed to pause a bruising trade war. The leaders are expected to agree to new trade forums and mechanisms, including a Board of Trade and Board of Investment, while China announces purchases of Boeing airplanes, American agriculture and energy. The critical minerals agreement, struck last autumn, remains in effect and officials expressed confidence it will eventually be extended. On broader issues, Trump has been pressing China to use its influence with Iran, which remains a major customer of Chinese oil, to push for a deal to end the conflict that began when the US and Israel launched strikes in late February. Washington has also pressed Beijing on its dealings with Russia, with one official noting Trump has spoken with Xi about revenue China provides to both regimes and dual-use goods, components and weapons exports. The talks will also address AI safety concerns, with US officials expressing increasing worry about advanced artificial intelligence models being developed in China and calling for a communication channel to prevent conflicts arising from their military use. AI has been deployed more extensively in the Iran conflict than in any previous war, including Palantir's Maven Smart System for data collection and operation recommendations. US officials also hope to discuss nuclear arms, though China has privately indicated it has no interest in nuclear arms control talks at this point. The two leaders may also revisit the 2024 understanding that only humans, not computers, should decide whether to use nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Xi remains frustrated with US support for Taiwan, though Washington has said its policy on the democratically governed island will not change despite China's increased military presence near the territory.