Trump heads to China for high-stakes talks

US President Donald Trump is on his way to Beijing to meet with China's President Xi Jinping. The two-day trip -- the first since Trump visited in 2017 -- will include high-stakes talks with the Chinese President amid a packed itinerary that includes a state banquet and a tea reception. Trump heads to China with his ambitions blunted by court rulings on tariffs, narrowing his goals to a few deals on beans, beef and Boeing jets.

During the trip, US arms sales to Taiwan, China's controls on rare-earth exports, and the countries' raucous trade relationship are among the main issues expected to be taken up by the heads of the world's top two economies.

The high-stakes visit also comes at a time when Trump has spent weeks trying, and failing, to persuade Beijing to influence Tehran to meet US terms to end the war in Iran or, at the very least, reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, before departing from the US, Trump said he does not think he will need China's help to end the war, even as hopes for a lasting peace deal dwindled and Tehran tightened its grip over the critical waterway.

President Donald Trump said he expected a “great meeting” with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his upcoming visit to China, as he projected confidence in US-China ties despite mounting global tensions over Iran, trade and energy security.

Speaking to reporters before boarding Marine One as he left the White House for his China trip, Trump repeatedly praised Xi and described the relationship between the world’s two largest economies as strong and stable.

“My relationship with President Xi is a fantastic one,” Trump said. “We've always gotten along and we're doing very well with China and working with China's been very good.”

The President said both sides were looking forward to the summit and suggested the discussions would focus heavily on trade and long-term strategic ties.

“I think more than anything else since we have massive relationships with China, we're the two superpowers,” Trump said. “We have a lot of things to discuss.”

Trump added that trade would likely dominate the talks. “I would say more than anything else will be trades,” he said.

The President also revealed that Xi is expected to visit the United States later this year. “President Xi will be coming here toward the end of the year,” Trump said. “That'll be exciting too.”

Trump suggested Xi could potentially help in addressing the Iran crisis, although he insisted Washington did not require outside support. “Whatever he can do to help with it,” Trump said when asked whether Xi could contribute to a deal with Tehran.