Trump Arrives in Beijing for High-Stakes Summit with Xi Jinping
Trump landed in Beijing Wednesday evening for two days of talks with Xi Jinping, accompanied by more than a dozen executives including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. All four outlets report the agenda covers tariffs, rare earths, AI, Taiwan, and the US war with Iran; Trump told reporters Tuesday he planned to press Xi on Iran and ask China to "open up" its economy. CNN cited unnamed Chinese sources as saying Beijing views the Iran conflict as leverage and is seeking reduced tech export restrictions and revised US policy language on Taiwan independence. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson
The Iran war has inverted the summit's power gradient: Xi holds the inducement Trump urgently needs, Chinese pressure on Tehran toward a Hormuz ceasefire, while Trump's midterm exposure raises the cost of returning empty-handed. Per CNN's unnamed Chinese sources, Beijing will demand Taiwan policy language shifted from "non-support" to "opposition," relaxed tech export controls, and sanctions relief for Chinese firms. Huang's last-minute addition to the CEO delegation signals semiconductor controls as a live item. Beijing may instead pocket Iran commitments and offer only agricultural figures, leaving tech and Taiwan policy unchanged. A deal on at least one of trade, technology, or security is
4 sources
- Trump arrives in Beijing with CEOs ahead of Xi meetings -
CNBC - May 13, 2026 - Trump arrives in China for summit with Xi Jinping -
CNN - Trump arriving in China to meet with Xi Jinping on Taiwan, trade, Iran -
The Washington Post - Trump arrives in Beijing for high-stakes summit with Xi amid US war with Iran -
ABC News