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Donald Trump said that Chinese President Xi Jinping would soon visit the United States, marking the strongest index on a summit at a time when economic superpowers are locked in an in-depth trade war.
Speaking during a visit to the Kennedy Performing Arts Center in Washington on Monday, Asset said the Chinese chief “would arrive in the not too distant future”.
The potential summit would mark significant diplomatic importance for the two geopolitical competitors, and could help provide multinational companies and investors an idea of the difficulty of a position that Trump intends to take relations with China.
The White House did not respond to the requests for comments as to whether Washington and Beijing had started talking about a summit. The Chinese Embassy in the United States also did not respond to a request for comments.
Trump has already launched a new trade war with Beijing – after the battle of his first mandate – by imposing a tariff of 20% on imports from China. Beijing retaluance By slapping the prices on approximately $ 22 billion in American goods, aimed at the American agricultural sector.
China has not published public comments on a meeting between the two leaders since Trump took office in January. Trump invited Xi to attend his inauguration, but Beijing sent Vice-President Han Zheng in his place.
Trump met Xi several times during his first mandate, including a high -level visit to Beijing. Their first meeting took place at Mar-A-Lago Resort of the American president in Florida in 2017, just a few months after the start of Trump.
Christopher Johnson, a former Top Cia China analyst, said that a short -term visit would be “a coup” for Trump. But he said that XI was unusual to agree unless there is a secret bilateral chain which gave him confidence to risk a visit.
“All XI instincts are campaigning against a visit too early. He concluded that his first visit to Mar-A-Lago during Trump’s first term was a mistake, “said Johnson, who heads China Strategies Group, a council.
Johnson said it was risky because Xi does not know the outcome of the business study linked to China that Trump ordered to be completed by April 1. “It seems contained for the moment to let Trump increase the prices without clear ramp to teach him that China is not Canada, Mexico or Panama,” he said.
XI is expected to meet dozens of leaders of the United States and other countries next week after China Development Forum, a high-level event where managers can interact with senior Chinese officials.
Steve Daines, a Republican senator from Montana who is close to Trump, will attend the Beijing forum, in rare decision by an American politician whom he hopes will lead to a meeting with XI on behalf of the American president. The Financial Times last week reported That Daines wanted to be appointed as presidential envoy to facilitate a meeting with XI – which the Senator’s office denied.