Trump vows to push Xi to open up China at superpower summit

US President Donald Trump indicated he would ask Xi Jinping to “open up” China to American firms as he headed to Beijing on Wednesday for a high-stakes summit that will also bring up the Iran war. In a sign of Trump’s focus on business, Nvidia chief Jensen Huang boarded Air Force One during a stopover in Alaska, with Tesla’s Elon Musk also travelling on the presidential plane to China.

“I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People’s Republic to an even higher level! ” Trump wrote on social media after departing Washington. A host of other top CEOs, including Apple’s Tim Cook, will also be in Beijing for the visit, the first by a US president to China in nearly a decade.

But Trump’s ambitions to ramp up trade will have to contend with political frictions over Taiwan and the war in the Middle East, which already delayed the trip from March. As he departed the White House, Trump indicated he expected a “long talk” with Xi about Iran, which sells most of its US-sanctioned oil to China. But he also downplayed disagreements, telling reporters that “I don’t think we need any help with Iran” from China and that Xi had been “relatively good” on the topic.

The Chinese foreign ministry showed Wednesday it “welcomes” Trump’s visit and that “China stands ready. … to expand cooperation and manage differences”. Yet Beijing is growing impatient for peace, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi urging his Pakistani counterpart on Tuesday to step up mediation efforts. ‘Big deal’ This week’s trip — the first since Trump visited Beijing in 2017 — will involve highly anticipated talks with Xi on Thursday and Friday, as well as lavish pomp and ceremony.