US President Donald Trump has said that he will make a special request to the country’s President Xi Jinping for ‘open’ opportunities for US trade in China. He made this comment on his way to attend a conference in Beijing today. Jensen Huang, chief executive officer (CEO) of technology giant Nvidia, joined Trump’s delegation during a stopover in Alaska on the way.
Donald Trump is visiting China for the first time in nearly a decade. Trump’s visit is to overcome the decline in his popularity in the country due to the war situation with Iran and to get some major economic success.
As Trump prepares for the lavish visit, his top trade negotiator, Scott Bessant, has been meeting with Chinese officials in South Korea. The talks are aimed at preserving a fragile trade deal signed last year between the world’s top two economies.
Trump’s accompanying CEOs mainly represent companies interested in de-escalating trade tensions with China. Nvidia is one of them. The company is fighting for regulatory approval to sell its powerful ‘H-200’ AI (artificial intelligence) chip in China.
In a post on his social media account ‘Truth Social’, Trump said, “I will ask President Xi to “open up” China so that these talented people (CEOs) can show their “magic”. President C is a leader with extraordinary personality. This will be the first request to him.”
A related source said on condition of anonymity that Trump requested Jensen Huang to go on this trip at the last minute. Huang’s name was not on the list of visiting executives released by the White House earlier this week. Huang is seen boarding Air Force One while refueling in Alaska. Trump is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday night local time. Apart from the meeting with Xi Jinping there, he is scheduled to have dinner and visit the UNESCO heritage site ‘Temple of Heaven’.
Apart from trade, the talks will also touch on touchy issues such as the Iran war to US arms sales to Taiwan. It is believed that Trump will try to convince China to come to an agreement with Washington to end the war. However, Trump has personally said that he will not need China’s help in this regard.
