BEIJING/WASHINGTON — Ahead of Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to China, attention is focused on the composition of the accompanying U.S. business delegation, the president’s recent statements on sensitive bilateral issues, and the trajectory of upcoming economic and trade consultations.
On Saturday (local time), Trump stated on his social media platform Truth Social that he is “very much looking forward” to his trip to China, adding that “great things” will happen between the two nations. However, speaking to reporters later that day, Trump indicated he plans to discuss U.S. arms sales to Taiwan with Chinese leadership. He also mentioned the Jimmy Lai case and the arrest of a Zion Church pastor in China.
The roster of business leaders accompanying Trump has been finalized, comprising 16 corporate executives, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Elon Musk. Multiple international media outlets highlighted the absence of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Bloomberg reported that analysts view the exclusion as a “strong signal” to Beijing that China will face continued difficulty acquiring Nvidia’s high-performance chips, emphasizing the U.S. administration’s recognition of computing power as a critical factor in the AI competition between the two nations.
On the trade front, Reuters noted that on the eve of the consultations, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on four Hong Kong-based entities, citing their involvement in Iran’s oil trade. Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post cited analysts suggesting that the current consultations aim to “quickly reach some deals” that could be signed during the leaders’ summit.
Broadly, mainstream Western media outlets are maintaining cautious expectations regarding a “substantive breakthrough” from the upcoming presidential meeting. On social media platforms, public discourse is largely centered on topics such as “Trump’s transactional diplomacy” and the debate over “which side needs a deal more.”