Trump's Visit Imminent, Chinese Public Holds Low Expectations Due to His Unpredictable Style
As President Trump's visit to China approaches, the Chinese public holds low expectations for significant breakthroughs in the "Xi-Trump meeting" due to his unpredictable style and the competitive US-China relationship. Social media focuses more on peripheral topics than the talks themselves.
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- 📰 Published: May 11, 2026 at 10:19
- 🔍 Collected: May 11, 2026 at 10:31 (12 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 11, 2026 at 12:02 (1h 30m after Collected)
BEIJING (CNA reporter Chang Shu-ling, 11th) -- US President Trump is about to visit China this week, eight years after his last visit. Due to his unpredictable style and the competitive US-China relationship over the past eight years, many Chinese people do not expect major breakthroughs from this "Xi-Trump meeting." Social media is more focused on anecdotal news than the substance of the talks.
Trump is expected to visit Beijing on the 14th and 15th. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet officially announced this news, and official media maintain a cautious attitude, not particularly "singing praises" for US-China relations. Public attention is correspondingly "restrained."
On the short video platform "Douyin," videos related to the US military's large transport aircraft C-17 flying to Beijing during the May Day holiday have garnered hundreds of thousands of views. Netizens are hotly discussing the massive and expensive entourage for Trump's trip; Trump's pre-visit interview where he said "the visit to China will be great" also received considerable traffic; and footage of Trump receiving high-level hospitality during his first presidential visit to China in 2017 has reappeared in popular search results.
However, in the comments section of these videos, some Chinese netizens commented: "How much can tariffs be reduced?" Many emphasized: "Don'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 a CNA reporter that people around him are not very concerned about the Xi-Trump meeting, but he feels that "(Trump) coming is definitely better than not coming." He noted that US President Biden did not visit China during his term, and Trump's visit now indicates a trend towards stabilization in US-China relations. However, he believes, "It's useless to talk seriously with the US; they will eventually overturn everything."
Another Chinese financial professional said that people who don't invest probably don't pay much attention to the "Xi-Trump meeting." Even if the US and Chinese leaders are friendly during the meeting, Trump might change his tune the next day. His personal attitude is more about "seeing what shocking statements Trump will make next."
A retired scholar who wrote many articles criticizing the US approach during Trump's trade war with China said that the Xi-Trump meeting is just "going through the motions," showing that the US and China do not interfere with each other, but it may not have much significance.
Beyond distrust, some young people view the Trump phenomenon through subculture. At the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, it is currently the period of student graduation exhibitions, with crowds of people. 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 Gets His Ear Pierced," which comically depicts the incident where Trump's right ear was injured by a bullet during his 2024 campaign.
The student manning 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 Xi-Trump meeting and the Chinese public's distrust mainly stem from Trump's visit to China in November 2017, which was full of warmth, but in March 2018, the US immediately launched a trade war against China.
Since then, the US has repeatedly imposed tariffs and technological controls on China, and China has also retaliated. Trade between the two countries continues to decline, with China's exports to the US falling 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. (Edited by Lu Chia-jung) 1150511
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Trump is expected to visit Beijing on the 14th and 15th. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet officially announced this news, and official media maintain a cautious attitude, not particularly "singing praises" for US-China relations. Public attention is correspondingly "restrained."
On the short video platform "Douyin," videos related to the US military's large transport aircraft C-17 flying to Beijing during the May Day holiday have garnered hundreds of thousands of views. Netizens are hotly discussing the massive and expensive entourage for Trump's trip; Trump's pre-visit interview where he said "the visit to China will be great" also received considerable traffic; and footage of Trump receiving high-level hospitality during his first presidential visit to China in 2017 has reappeared in popular search results.
However, in the comments section of these videos, some Chinese netizens commented: "How much can tariffs be reduced?" Many emphasized: "Don'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 a CNA reporter that people around him are not very concerned about the Xi-Trump meeting, but he feels that "(Trump) coming is definitely better than not coming." He noted that US President Biden did not visit China during his term, and Trump's visit now indicates a trend towards stabilization in US-China relations. However, he believes, "It's useless to talk seriously with the US; they will eventually overturn everything."
Another Chinese financial professional said that people who don't invest probably don't pay much attention to the "Xi-Trump meeting." Even if the US and Chinese leaders are friendly during the meeting, Trump might change his tune the next day. His personal attitude is more about "seeing what shocking statements Trump will make next."
A retired scholar who wrote many articles criticizing the US approach during Trump's trade war with China said that the Xi-Trump meeting is just "going through the motions," showing that the US and China do not interfere with each other, but it may not have much significance.
Beyond distrust, some young people view the Trump phenomenon through subculture. At the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, it is currently the period of student graduation exhibitions, with crowds of people. 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 Gets His Ear Pierced," which comically depicts the incident where Trump's right ear was injured by a bullet during his 2024 campaign.
The student manning 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 Xi-Trump meeting and the Chinese public's distrust mainly stem from Trump's visit to China in November 2017, which was full of warmth, but in March 2018, the US immediately launched a trade war against China.
Since then, the US has repeatedly imposed tariffs and technological controls on China, and China has also retaliated. Trade between the two countries continues to decline, with China's exports to the US falling 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. (Edited by Lu Chia-jung) 1150511
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you provide is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the CNA "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.