Trump to visit China from May 13 to 15 amid trade and Iran tensions

US President Donald Trump will pay a state visit to China from May 13 to 15 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The trip will be the first visit to China by a sitting U.S. president in nearly nine years.

Trump is expected to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening. According to the White House, he will hold bilateral talks with Xi on Thursday, followed by a state banquet. The two leaders are scheduled to meet again on Friday for a working lunch.

The visit comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over trade, Taiwan and the ongoing U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, which has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and contributed to a global energy crunch.

Both countries are also expected to use the visit to advance negotiations over tariffs imposed by the United States.

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng is set to meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in South Korea on May 12 and 13 in what Chinese officials described as the final round of talks before Trump’s arrival.

China’s Commerce Ministry said the discussions would be guided by the consensus reached between Trump and Xi during their meeting in Busan and in subsequent phone calls, and would focus on “economic and trade issues of mutual concern.”

The White House has described the visit as one of “tremendous symbolic significance,” and said the United States plans to host Xi for a reciprocal visit later this year.