Trump's Visit: Chinese Public Has Low Expectations Due to His Changeable Style
Former US President Trump is scheduled to visit China this week, eight years after his last visit. Due to his unpredictable nature and the ongoing US-China competition, many Chinese citizens do not anticipate significant breakthroughs from this "Trump-Xi meeting." Social media is largely focused on trivial news and anecdotes rather than serious political discussions.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 11, 2026 at 09:26
- 🔍 Collected: May 11, 2026 at 09:31 (5 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 11, 2026 at 09:34 (2 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Zhang Shuling, Beijing, 11th) US President Trump is scheduled to visit China this week, eight years after his last visit. Due to his changeable style and the US-China competitive relationship over the past eight years, many Chinese people do not expect major breakthroughs from this "Trump-Xi meeting." Social media is more filled with "watching the excitement" type of anecdotal news.
Trump is expected to visit Beijing on the 14th and 15th. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet officially announced the news, and official media maintain a cautious attitude, not particularly "singing praises" for US-China relations. The public correspondingly shows "restrained" attention.
On the short video platform "Douyin," videos about the US military's large transport aircraft C-17 flying to Beijing during the May Day holiday received hundreds of thousands of views. Netizens hotly debated the grand scale and high cost of Trump's trip. Trump's pre-trip interview where he said "the visit to China will be great" also garnered considerable traffic. Images of Trump receiving a high-level reception during his first presidential visit to China in 2017 also reappeared in hot search results.
However, in the comments of these videos, some Chinese netizens commented: "How much will tariffs be reduced?" Many emphasized: "You can't believe a word Americans say," and "they'll turn hostile as soon as they get on the plane."
Mr. Wang, who works in the media industry in China, told the Central News Agency reporter that people around him are not very concerned about the Trump-Xi meeting, but he feels that "(Trump) coming is definitely better than not coming." He noted that current US President Biden did not visit China during his term, and Trump's visit now indicates a stabilizing trend in US-China relations. However, he believes, "It's useless to talk seriously with the US; they will overturn it in the end."
Another Chinese financial professional said that people who don't invest probably don't pay much attention to the "Trump-Xi meeting." Even if the US and Chinese leaders are friendly when they meet, Trump might change his mind the next day after returning. His personal attitude is more like "let's see what surprising remarks Trump makes again."
A retired scholar who wrote many articles criticizing the US approach on self-media during Trump's trade war with China said that the Trump-Xi meeting is just "going through the motions," showing that China and the US do not interfere with each other, and may not have much significance.
Regarding Trump, in addition to distrust, some young people view the Trump phenomenon in a subcultural way.
At the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, it is currently the period of student graduation exhibitions with bustling crowds. Students have set up stalls on campus, selling various artworks and cultural and creative products they created. Particularly eye-catching is a pin called "Trump Getting an Ear Piercing," which comically depicts the incident where Trump's right ear was injured by a bullet during his 2024 campaign.
The student guarding the stall emphasized that considering international relations and public opinion, this product is not sold online but is an exclusive on-site item.
The somewhat low-key nature of the Trump-Xi meeting and the distrust among the Chinese public mainly stem from Trump's visit to China in November 2017, where the atmosphere was enthusiastic throughout, but in March 2018, the US immediately launched a trade war against China.
Since then, the US has repeatedly imposed tariffs, technology controls, and other measures against China, and China has also retaliated. Trade between the two countries continues to decline, with China's exports to the US plummeting by 20% in 2025, and continuing to decrease by 10.2% year-on-year in the first four months of this year, demonstrating a certain degree of decoupling. (Editor: Lu Jiarong) 1150511
(Central News Agency reporter Zhang Shuling, Beijing, 11th) US President Trump is scheduled to visit China this week, eight years after his last visit. Due to his changeable style and the US-China competitive relationship over the past eight years, many Chinese people do not expect major breakthroughs from this "Trump-Xi meeting." Social media is more filled with "watching the excitement" type of anecdotal news.
Trump is expected to visit Beijing on the 14th and 15th. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet officially announced the news, and official media maintain a cautious attitude, not particularly "singing praises" for US-China relations. The public correspondingly shows "restrained" attention.
On the short video platform "Douyin," videos about the US military's large transport aircraft C-17 flying to Beijing during the May Day holiday received hundreds of thousands of views. Netizens hotly debated the grand scale and high cost of Trump's trip. Trump's pre-trip interview where he said "the visit to China will be great" also garnered considerable traffic. Images of Trump receiving a high-level reception during his first presidential visit to China in 2017 also reappeared in hot search results.
However, in the comments of these videos, some Chinese netizens commented: "How much will tariffs be reduced?" Many emphasized: "You can't believe a word Americans say," and "they'll turn hostile as soon as they get on the plane."
Mr. Wang, who works in the media industry in China, told the Central News Agency reporter that people around him are not very concerned about the Trump-Xi meeting, but he feels that "(Trump) coming is definitely better than not coming." He noted that current US President Biden did not visit China during his term, and Trump's visit now indicates a stabilizing trend in US-China relations. However, he believes, "It's useless to talk seriously with the US; they will overturn it in the end."
Another Chinese financial professional said that people who don't invest probably don't pay much attention to the "Trump-Xi meeting." Even if the US and Chinese leaders are friendly when they meet, Trump might change his mind the next day after returning. His personal attitude is more like "let's see what surprising remarks Trump makes again."
A retired scholar who wrote many articles criticizing the US approach on self-media during Trump's trade war with China said that the Trump-Xi meeting is just "going through the motions," showing that China and the US do not interfere with each other, and may not have much significance.
Regarding Trump, in addition to distrust, some young people view the Trump phenomenon in a subcultural way.
At the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, it is currently the period of student graduation exhibitions with bustling crowds. Students have set up stalls on campus, selling various artworks and cultural and creative products they created. Particularly eye-catching is a pin called "Trump Getting an Ear Piercing," which comically depicts the incident where Trump's right ear was injured by a bullet during his 2024 campaign.
The student guarding the stall emphasized that considering international relations and public opinion, this product is not sold online but is an exclusive on-site item.
The somewhat low-key nature of the Trump-Xi meeting and the distrust among the Chinese public mainly stem from Trump's visit to China in November 2017, where the atmosphere was enthusiastic throughout, but in March 2018, the US immediately launched a trade war against China.
Since then, the US has repeatedly imposed tariffs, technology controls, and other measures against China, and China has also retaliated. Trade between the two countries continues to decline, with China's exports to the US plummeting by 20% in 2025, and continuing to decrease by 10.2% year-on-year in the first four months of this year, demonstrating a certain degree of decoupling. (Editor: Lu Jiarong) 1150511