Iran, Taiwan to dominate Trump-Xi talks

China seeks ‘more stability’ as it confirms visit

BEIJING/WASHINGTON:

Beijing said on Monday it was ready to work with the United States in pursuit of “more stability” and confirmed that Donald Trump will visit China this week, the first US president to do so since 2017.
Top trade negotiators from both countries will meet in Seoul a day before Trump’s summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to iron out details on trade and economic issues, a sign of the trip’s high stakes.
The White House announced Trump’s visit several weeks ago, and China’s foreign ministry has now confirmed it will go ahead from Wednesday until Friday.
The US leader was originally meant to visit in late March or early April, but postponed his trip to focus on the US-Israel war with Iran.
“Top-level diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations,” Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing.
“China is willing to work with the United States in the spirit of equality, respect, and mutual benefit, to expand cooperation, manage differences, and inject more stability and certainty into a volatile and intertwined world,” he said.
In Washington, US President Donald Trump said that he would discuss the topic of arms sales to Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing this week.
“I’m going to have that discussion with President Xi,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about Washington’s longstanding support for Taiwan’s defense. “President Xi would like us not to, and I’ll have that discussion. That’s one of the many things I’ll be talking about.”