Trump–Xi Summit on Track for May Despite Iran War, U.S. Trade Chief Says
America's top trade official has confirmed that the high-stakes meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping is proceeding as planned for mid-May — and that not even an ongoing war in Iran will push it off course. The announcement comes as Washington and Beijing are simultaneously courting cooperation and firing legal salvos at each other.
Udumbara
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America's top trade official has confirmed that the high-stakes meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping is proceeding as planned for mid-May — and that not even an ongoing war in Iran will push it off course. The announcement comes as Washington and Beijing are simultaneously courting cooperation and firing legal salvos at each other.
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Diplomatic Calendar Holds Firm
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer confirmed that preparations for the Trump–Xi summit are on track, downplaying the prospect that the Iran conflict — now in its second month — could lead to any further delay in talks between the leaders of the world's two largest economies.
The summit, scheduled for May 14–15 in Beijing, follows a months-long diplomatic runway. Trade talks in Paris on March 15–16, led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, were designed to clear the path toward the leaders' meeting. Trump himself confirmed in a March 31 interview with Bloomberg that no additional preparatory meetings are planned before the Beijing summit.
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What Both Sides Want
The discussions are expected to center on several key areas: U.S. tariff levels, the flow of Chinese-produced rare earth minerals to American buyers, U.S. high-tech export controls, and Chinese purchases of American agricultural products.
Rare earths (minerals critical to manufacturing everything from fighter jets to smartphones) have become a central flashpoint. While some U.S. industries are receiving rare earth exports from China, which dominates global production, American aerospace and semiconductor companies are not — and they are facing worsening shortages of key materials, including yttrium, used in heat-resistant coatings for jet engines.
On the U.S. side, the ask is straightforward: buy more American goods. Greer and Bessent emphasized the U.S. desire for China to increase purchases of Boeing jetliners, as well as American coal, oil, and natural gas.
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A New "Board of Trade" on the Agenda
One of the more novel proposals on the table is a formal body designed to help manage commerce between the two nations. The two sides discussed the establishment of a U.S.–China "Board of Trade" aimed at identifying products and sectors where trade could grow in a balanced way without compromising national security or critical supply chains. A parallel "Board of Investment" was also floated to handle specific bilateral investment disputes.
Greer described the concept as identifying areas of non-sensitive mutual gain — the U.S. selling aircraft, medical devices, and agricultural products; China supplying certain consumer goods and commodities where it holds an advantage.
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Trade Deficit Is Shrinking — But Tensions Remain
Despite the diplomatic tone, the economic backdrop is one of sustained friction. The U.S. goods trade deficit with China has fallen from a peak of $418 billion in 2018 to $202 billion in 2025, a more than 20-year low. Greer noted that imports from China in January hit their lowest level since 2004.
Still, the legal skirmishing continues on both sides. After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Trump's emergency tariff powers, the U.S. Trade Representative launched new "Section 301" investigations into alleged unfair trade practices targeting China and 15 other major trading partners, as well as a separate probe into forced labor in global supply chains.
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Beijing Fires Back with Its Own Probes
China has not sat idle. On March 27, China's Ministry of Commerce launched two investigations into U.S. practices — one targeting what Beijing describes as disruptions to global supply chains, the other focused on American barriers to trade in green products such as solar panels and electric vehicles.
Experts say the move gives Beijing a legal basis for future retaliation should new U.S. tariffs emerge — essentially preparing its next move before the summit even begins. Analysts at the Asia Society Policy Institute described Beijing's green-trade probe as a message aimed not only at Washington, but at Europe and emerging markets, framing China as a champion of global clean energy access.
Greer dismissed Beijing's counter-probes as largely performative, stating on social media that China is "in fact the world's most profligate disruptor of supply chains and trade in green products."
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The Road to Beijing
Trade analysts caution that with Washington's attention divided by the Iran war, expectations for a major breakthrough in Beijing should remain measured. "Given that the leaders may meet up to four times this year, these deliverables maybe can be spread out, rolled out over the year," said Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade negotiator who now heads the Asia Society Policy Institute.
In a survey of 79 former officials and China experts conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, only 3% said both sides were likely to fulfill all their commitments in 2026, with just over half expecting both to make partial efforts but fall short.
What remains clear is that both Washington and Beijing have chosen the negotiating table over open confrontation — at least for now. Whether the Beijing summit produces lasting agreements or simply buys time will be the defining question of the world's most consequential trade relationship.
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Sources
- Bloomberg – Trump–Xi Summit on Track Even as Iran War Drags On: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-31/trump-xi-summit-on-track-even-as-iran-war-drags-on-greer-says
- Reuters / U.S. News – U.S., China Economic Chiefs Meet in Paris to Clear Path to Trump–Xi Summit: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-03-14/us-china-economic-chiefs-meet-in-paris-to-clear-path-to-trump-xi-summit
- CNBC – U.S. and China Tee Up Sweeping Trade Deal for Trump, Xi to Finish: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/03/15/trump-xi-trade-talks.html
- Supply Chain Dive – China Opens Probes into U.S. Trading Practices: https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/china-us-trade-investigations-supply-chains-xi-trump/815953/
- Bloomberg / Energy Connects – Why China Is Investigating U.S. Green Tariffs Ahead of Trump's Visit: https://www.energyconnects.com/news/renewables/2026/march/why-china-is-investigating-us-green-tariffs-ahead-of-trump-s-visit/
- BusinessWorld / Reuters – U.S., China Seek to Wrap Paris Talks on Managed Trade: https://www.bworldonline.com/world/2026/03/16/736507/us-china-seek-to-wrap-paris-talks-on-managed-trade-agriculture-deals-for-xi-trump-summit/
- Prism News / CSIS – China Opens Two Trade Probes Into U.S. Practices Ahead of Summit: https://www.prismnews.com/news/china-opens-two-trade-probes-into-us-practices-ahead-of
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