Trump’s China Visit to Focus on Iran, AI and Trade — But Big Investment Deals Are Unlikely

The White House is lowering expectations as President Donald Trump prepares to travel to China this week amid ongoing developments related to the Iran conflict.

Senior U.S. officials say the leaders will discuss a range of subjects — including artificial intelligence, trade and investment boards, and the war in Iran — but they have been careful not to promise any headline-making accords from a meeting between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. A senior official dismissed speculation that Beijing would announce a sweeping new investment program in the United States during the visit.

“There’s not a proposal out there for some massive investment,” the official said. “I know there’s been some press to that effect, and my sense is that folks who want that in the private sector were projecting that, because we haven’t had conversations about a major Chinese investment program. At this point, that has not been on the negotiating table.”

Executives including Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, Citi’s Jane Fraser and other U.S. CEOs are expected to travel with the president, Semafor reported. While there has been talk of potential Boeing orders and increased soybean sales, officials say expectations for major commercial fanfare are modest compared with the publicity that accompanied President Trump’s trip to the Gulf last year.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Semafor: “I don’t want to think about some big headline with the Chinese where I have really hot rhetoric, I say really tough things, but at the end of the day, do nothing. I’d much rather do what we’re doing now, which is we’re going to talk to the Chinese, because we live in this world together.”

With slipping poll numbers at home, Mr. Trump is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening. Officials say the stalemate in the Iran conflict will form an important backdrop to the talks, even though China has largely remained publicly detached from the fighting.

White House press secretary Anna Kelly said the president is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Xi on Thursday to discuss “additional agreements” across sectors such as aerospace, agriculture and energy. Kelly also said Xi is expected to make a reciprocal visit to the United States later in the year.

On artificial intelligence, U.S. officials described discussions as likely exploratory — an opportunity to open dialogue and assess whether a formal channel of communication should be established. Another senior official emphasized that U.S. policy on Taiwan is not expected to change as a result of the visit.

The trip had originally been scheduled for March but was postponed because of tensions related to the Iran conflict. When asked why the visit is proceeding now, an official responded: “I think the question would be, why wouldn’t he go on this trip at this point? I think clearly six weeks ago, we were in a bit more of an active situation.”