Trump to Visit China Again After 9 Years; Scholar: US-China Relations Have Qualitatively Changed
Former US President Trump will visit China again after nine years. Chinese scholars point out that compared to 2017, US-China relations have undergone a qualitative change. This 'Xi-Trump meeting' is most likely to achieve results in the economic and trade fields, and there should not be significant changes in the Taiwan issue.
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- 📰 Published: May 12, 2026 at 16:06
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Zhang Shuling, Beijing, 12th) US President Trump will visit China again after nine years. Chinese scholars point out that compared to 2017, US-China relations have undergone a qualitative change, and China's confidence in dealing with the United States has also strengthened. This 'Xi-Trump meeting' is most likely to achieve results in the economic and trade fields, and there should not be significant changes in the Taiwan issue.
Trump is expected to visit China from the 13th to the 15th, meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 14th. This is his first visit to China during his second term; his last visit was in November 2017, less than a year after he first took office as US President.
Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy and professor of the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing, told the Central News Agency that China's pursuit in this Xi-Trump meeting is still to hope that US-China relations will be generally stable. However, compared to 2017, US-China relations have undergone great changes.
He said that in 2017, everyone was at the end of the era of globalization, and still hoped to maintain the US-China relations that began in the 1990s, that is, more economic and trade cooperation between the two sides, and the US adopting an engagement policy towards China. But now many people in both China and the US believe this is no longer possible, and the basic nature of US-China relations has become a competitive bilateral relationship.
Another change is that China's strength has further increased. Although the basic situation of 'US strong, China weak' has not changed much, the Chinese people's confidence has become stronger.
In 2018, the US-China trade war began, and relations between the two sides began to deteriorate. Da Wei said that at that time, most people were not sure whether China could continue to develop, and worried that China's economy and technology would have major problems. Now most people feel that even if there are some problems in US-China relations, China can still maintain its development momentum such as innovation, and the United States cannot completely suppress China's development.
He said that this is a big change in nine years. Under the new nature of US-China relations, China's confidence in dealing with the United States has become stronger.
Regarding what can be achieved in this Xi-Trump meeting, Da Wei believes that the most important results are still in economic and trade. Two days before the Xi-Trump meeting, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng was still consulting with the US on economic and trade in South Korea on the 12th and 13th, indicating that both sides hope to achieve something; and China's procurement from the US is a simpler way to improve bilateral relations, and China can also benefit.
He stated that the Taiwan issue is more complex and sensitive, coupled with Trump's unpredictability. For China, it will not 'trade' for a single word from Trump, but China will definitely reiterate its own interests and positions. A more prominent short-term issue is US arms sales to Taiwan. This may be discussed at the Xi-Trump meeting, but the Taiwan issue should not undergo structural changes.
As for the issue of opening the Strait of Hormuz under the US attack on Iran, he said that Iran is an area where China and the US can cooperate concretely, and cooperation has already begun. It is more likely that both sides will express principles at this Xi-Trump meeting and then continue to cooperate in handling it.
Da Wei said that considering that Trump and Xi Jinping will have several more opportunities to meet this year, the importance of this Xi-Trump meeting is that it is the first meeting this year, and the specific results will be relatively limited. (Editor: Zhou Huiying) 1150512
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(Central News Agency reporter Zhang Shuling, Beijing, 12th) US President Trump will visit China again after nine years. Chinese scholars point out that compared to 2017, US-China relations have undergone a qualitative change, and China's confidence in dealing with the United States has also strengthened. This 'Xi-Trump meeting' is most likely to achieve results in the economic and trade fields, and there should not be significant changes in the Taiwan issue.
Trump is expected to visit China from the 13th to the 15th, meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 14th. This is his first visit to China during his second term; his last visit was in November 2017, less than a year after he first took office as US President.
Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy and professor of the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing, told the Central News Agency that China's pursuit in this Xi-Trump meeting is still to hope that US-China relations will be generally stable. However, compared to 2017, US-China relations have undergone great changes.
He said that in 2017, everyone was at the end of the era of globalization, and still hoped to maintain the US-China relations that began in the 1990s, that is, more economic and trade cooperation between the two sides, and the US adopting an engagement policy towards China. But now many people in both China and the US believe this is no longer possible, and the basic nature of US-China relations has become a competitive bilateral relationship.
Another change is that China's strength has further increased. Although the basic situation of 'US strong, China weak' has not changed much, the Chinese people's confidence has become stronger.
In 2018, the US-China trade war began, and relations between the two sides began to deteriorate. Da Wei said that at that time, most people were not sure whether China could continue to develop, and worried that China's economy and technology would have major problems. Now most people feel that even if there are some problems in US-China relations, China can still maintain its development momentum such as innovation, and the United States cannot completely suppress China's development.
He said that this is a big change in nine years. Under the new nature of US-China relations, China's confidence in dealing with the United States has become stronger.
Regarding what can be achieved in this Xi-Trump meeting, Da Wei believes that the most important results are still in economic and trade. Two days before the Xi-Trump meeting, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng was still consulting with the US on economic and trade in South Korea on the 12th and 13th, indicating that both sides hope to achieve something; and China's procurement from the US is a simpler way to improve bilateral relations, and China can also benefit.
He stated that the Taiwan issue is more complex and sensitive, coupled with Trump's unpredictability. For China, it will not 'trade' for a single word from Trump, but China will definitely reiterate its own interests and positions. A more prominent short-term issue is US arms sales to Taiwan. This may be discussed at the Xi-Trump meeting, but the Taiwan issue should not undergo structural changes.
As for the issue of opening the Strait of Hormuz under the US attack on Iran, he said that Iran is an area where China and the US can cooperate concretely, and cooperation has already begun. It is more likely that both sides will express principles at this Xi-Trump meeting and then continue to cooperate in handling it.
Da Wei said that considering that Trump and Xi Jinping will have several more opportunities to meet this year, the importance of this Xi-Trump meeting is that it is the first meeting this year, and the specific results will be relatively limited. (Editor: Zhou Huiying) 1150512
Stand with the facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.