On arrival in Beijing, Trump presses Xi for tangible wins as U.S. leverage erodes

Trade is the headline here. But the real story is leverage — who still has it, who lost some, and what each side thinks the other now needs most. Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, May 13, for a state visit and talks with Xi Jinping on May 14 and 15, with the White House looking for visible deliverables after the summit was pushed back from March by the Iran war. ### Why does this trip feel different? Because this is not a vibes summit. Trump is not walking into Beijing from a position of obvious strength. The Iran war has dragged on, energy prices have jumped, and inflation has become part of the political backdrop in the U.S. That changes the feel of the meeting. A year ago, Washington could talk more comfortably about pressure. Now it also needs relief — on prices, supply chains, and headline risk. (bloomberg.com) ### What does Trump actually want? He wants things he can point to fast. More Chinese purchases of U.S. farm goods and aircraft. Some easing around rare-earth and other critical-mineral flows. Maybe a framework to keep trade fights from turning into constant escalation. Trump said before departure that he would talk with Xi about trade “more than anything else,” which tells you the White House wants an economic win first and the bigger geopolitical arguments second. (aljazeera.com) ### Why are rare earths such a big deal? Because they are the perfect example of mutual dependence that is not really mutual in practice. The U.S. can restrict advanced chips and chip tools. China can squeeze critical minerals and processing capacity that sit upstream of everything from EVs to defense systems. CSIS flagged gallium and other critical minerals as a live problem going into the summit. Basically, each side can hurt the other in different parts of the supply chain — but Beijing’s tools look especially potent when global shipping and energy are already stressed. (aljazeera.com) ### Where does Iran fit into this? Awkwardly. Trump gave mixed signals before leaving Washington. At one point he said he would have a long talk with Xi about Iran. Then he said the U.S. did not need China’s help. That wobble matters because China is tied into the energy and diplomatic side of the crisis, while the war’s economic fallout is already hitting Trump at home. Even if trade dominates the formal agenda, Iran is sitting in the room anyway. (csis.org) ### What does Xi want? Stability, mostly — but on China’s terms. Beijing wants fewer shocks in the economic relationship, less tariff improvisation, and some movement on Taiwan-related friction. It also wants to show that China can host the summit from a position of confidence. One CSIS preview put it plainly: the U.S. focus is the economy and Iran, while China’s focus is stability and progress on Taiwan. ### Why does the delay matter? (aljazeera.com) Because delays change bargaining power. The summit was originally expected in March, then slipped because of the Iran war. Since then, the U.S. position has gotten noisier — more war pressure, more inflation pressure, more need for a visible foreign-policy success. China did not become all-powerful in that window. But it did gain time, and time helped Beijing. (csis.org) ### So what counts as a win now? Not a grand bargain. More like a managed truce with receipts. If Trump leaves Beijing with purchase commitments, a calmer channel for trade disputes, and some practical movement on minerals or tariffs, the White House can call that success. If he leaves with only ceremony, the story will be that Washington needed more than Beijing had to give. (bloomberg.com) ### Bottom line This summit matters because both countries still need each other, but not in the old way. The U.S. wants quick economic relief. China wants predictable boundaries. When leverage erodes, even small deals start to matter a lot. (csis.org)