Trump, Xi prepare to meet amid Iran war

As President Donald Trump prepares to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, China's uncertainty over the US leader's goals and the impact of the Iran war hang over the highly anticipated state visit.

Trump's trip is aimed at sealing a trade war truce the two leaders shook hands on when they met in South Korea in October. However, for Beijing, which likes to carefully choreograph such events to avoid any possibility of embarrassment, Trump's free-wheeling style is proving challenging.

A source familiar with negotiations told AFP that Chinese officials were expecting more ambitious preparations for such a summit between the leaders of rival superpowers.

The White House insisted, however, that preparations were going well for the visit from March 31 to April 2, with regular contacts and interactions with Beijing. The business leaders had been concerned that as of earlier this week, invitations had not gone out to be part of the US delegation.

In a sign that both sides want to set the stage for the Trump-Xi talks, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is due to meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Paris this weekend. The meeting is likely meant to hammer out economic achievements to be announced at the leaders' summit, Fudan University professor Wu Xinbo told AFP.

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