SRMED
Englishعربي
Englishعربي
US President Donald Trump has arrived in Beijing for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking his first overseas trip since escalating conflict in the Middle East. The two leaders began bilateral talks on Thursday, greeted by a lavish ceremony at the Great Hall of the People complete with honor guards and pageantry, as reported by Bloomberg footage from the scene. Accompanying Trump are prominent US executives including Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook, and Nvidia's Jensen Huang, signaling a strong business focus amid ongoing tensions over trade, technology, and geopolitics.
Xi Jinping issued a stark warning during the initial high-stakes discussions, cautioning Trump that the US and China risk "clashes" or "conflict" over Taiwan, according to coverage from The Independent and Bloomberg Daybreak Europe. The talks, which follow a previous delay due to the Iran-related war, center on key friction points including Taiwan's status, US sanctions, trade barriers, and the ongoing Middle East conflict. Both leaders struck an optimistic tone at the outset, emphasizing opportunities for collaboration, though analysts like former US Embassy official Sarah Beran note that expectations in Washington and Beijing have been significantly lowered.
The summit unfolds against a backdrop of economic turbulence, with US producer prices surging to their highest rise since 2022 due to war-fueled energy costs. Energy markets are watching closely for breakthroughs on China's tariffs on US oil and gas, which could reshape global fuel flows amid the Iran war limbo. Oil prices held steady post-opening talks, while global stocks hovered near record highs but Chinese equities slipped as investors awaited clearer signals, taking profits after a tech rally.
Trump's 36-hour visit also includes a temple outing and state banquet, blending diplomacy with symbolism. Meanwhile, in a separate but concurrent development, the US Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as the new Federal Reserve Chair by the narrowest margin in decades, a move Bloomberg described as leaving Trump with his preferred candidate in place. This leadership change at the Fed could influence responses to inflation pressures tied to the summit's broader economic ripple effects.
For businesses and global markets, the presence of tech CEOs underscores AI and trade as focal points—Nvidia, in particular, eyes a $50 billion opportunity in China despite chip restrictions. What happens next hinges on whether the summit yields tangible agreements on tariffs, energy, or de-escalation over Taiwan and Iran. Traders and analysts anticipate limited immediate breakthroughs, but any progress could stabilize supply chains and ease inflation for consumers worldwide, affecting everyone from American households to international investors.