Trump Summit

• U.S. President Donald Trump met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday to discuss U.S.-China relations, Taiwan, and economic cooperation, with no major breakthroughs expected by analysts. • Asian markets were mixed: Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1% to 62,654.05 after hitting an intraday record above 63,700; South Korea's Kospi rose 1.8% to a record 7,981.41 driven by AI tech stocks; Shanghai Composite dropped 1.5% to 4,177.92 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng flatlined at 26,389.04. • The leaders agreed the Strait of Hormuz must remain open amid the ongoing Iran war over two months old, with hopes Beijing could leverage ties with Tehran; U.S. crude dipped 0.2% to $100.86 per barrel.

US president says he and his Chinese counterpart have ‘known each other for a long time’ and Xi is ‘great leader’Trump in Beijing – latest updatesFive key issues for Xi-Trump summitThe US president, Donald Trump, has met China’s leader, Xi Jinping, for a momentous summit that will pack negotiations on global conflict, international trade and the future of artificial intelligence into just over 24 hours.Trump arrived at the Great Hall of the People, an imposing Mao-era building that borders the western edge of Tiananmen Square, on Thursday morning for an opening ceremony followed by an hour of face to face talks with Xi. Continue reading...

• US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on May 13, 2026, for a state visit and high-level talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping addressing major bilateral and global issues. • Key agenda items include US-China trade disputes, rare earth minerals supply chains, Taiwan's political status, artificial intelligence competition, and the ongoing Iran conflict. • The summit represents a critical diplomatic engagement aimed at managing US-China strategic competition and reducing military escalation risks.

Ahead of the crucial talks, security has been heightened in Beijing, with the US president set to meet Xi at the Great Hall of the PeopleThe Trump-Xi summit will span two days. It was originally scheduled for late March or early April but was delayed due to the Iran war.Now that Trump is in China, here are some of the hazards the US president faces. Continue reading...

• Trade negotiators led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held talks in Seoul on Wednesday to prepare for a summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. • The meeting is meant to smooth tensions ahead of the leaders’ May 13-15 talks, which are the first visit by a U.S. president to Beijing in nearly a decade. • It matters because the two economies are trying to manage trade disputes and geopolitical fallout while avoiding further escalation.

The Iran war will cast a long shadow over the talks. Plus, the 100 best novels of all timeGood morning.Donald Trump is due to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening, the first visit to China by a US president since he was last there nearly a decade ago, as he seeks to mend power and prestige weakened by the war in Iran.What is the state of US-China relations? The two countries remain locked in a fragile tariff truce, reached last autumn after tensions threatened to erupt into a full-scale trade war. Trump has long complained about China’s trade surplus with the US, while Beijing has opposed American export controls and sanctions.What is the latest with the US-Iran ceasefire? The war has entered its third month, with Tehran tightening its grip over the strait of Hormuz and Washington struggling to turn a fragile ceasefire into a lasting settlement. Behind the scenes, US officials have spent weeks urging China to put pressure on Iran to reopen the strait and accept US terms for peace.What did the Atlantic allege? It reported that Patel’s alcohol consumption had become “a recurring source of concern across the government” which made him a “national-security vulnerability”, citing interviews with more than two dozen people including current and former FBI officials. Patel denies all the allegations, calling them “outrageous” and “malicious”. Continue reading...

It will be the first time a US president has visited China in nearly a decade, with the last visit being Trump in 2017Hello and welcome to our live coverage of US politics.Donald Trump is scheduled to travel to China this week to meet with Xi Jinping, China’s leader. It will be the first time a US president has visited China in nearly a decade, with the last visit being Trump in 2017. But given all that has happened so far in Trump’s second term – a trade war and then an actual war with Iran that has led to oil and gas prices skyrocketing worldwide – the mood of this visit is likely to be quite different. Continue reading...