Trump hails ties with Xi Jinping ahead of China trip

Washington: 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.

At the same time, he maintained that the US remained fully in control of the situation involving Iran. “They’re defeated militarily and they’ll either do the right thing or we’ll finish the job,” he said.

Trump also said the broader US-China relationship remained economically beneficial for both countries. “We do a lot of business with China. We do very well with China and they do well with us and the relationship is very good,” he said.

Asked about the ultimate objective of the China trip, Trump framed the visit in geopolitical terms, calling the US and China the world’s leading powers. “We’re the strongest nation on earth in terms of military,” he said. “China’s considered second.”

The remarks come at a sensitive moment in US-China relations, which have been shaped in recent years by disputes over trade, technology, Taiwan, supply chains and military influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Despite sharp differences, both Washington and Beijing have continued high-level diplomatic engagement to prevent further deterioration in ties.

India is closely monitoring the evolving US-China dynamic because of its implications for regional stability, trade routes and Indo-Pacific security.

IANS