Newly elected US President Donald Trump has expressed his desire to visit China after taking office. According to the Wall Street Journal report, a source confirmed that Trump has also discussed the trip to China with his advisers. But Trump's relationship with President Xi Jinping is already under strain due to threats of higher tariffs on Chinese goods.
Trump had previously visited Beijing in 2017 during his first term as president. However, the final decision has not yet been taken regarding this visit. A source says Trump has expressed interest in visiting China within his first 100 days in office.
Trump and Xi Jinping had a phone conversation last Friday. This was their first contact after the election. The topics discussed in the phone conversation were trade, fentanyl (drug), TikTok and other important issues. Later, Trump wrote on his social media, Truth Social, “I hope we can solve many problems together and it will start immediately.”
This is a sensitive moment in the Trump administration's relationship with China. Because Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 60 percent on Chinese goods. However, China has shown interest in negotiating this tariff hike.
Chinese state media Xinhua reported that Xi and Trump agreed to establish a strategic communication channel during their talks.
In addition to pressuring China to stop supplying fentanyl's key ingredient, the visit may also discuss China's role in ending the war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, China has asked the US to take a cautious stance on the Taiwan issue. where the Taiwanese delegation will attend Trump's inauguration (January 20).
Meanwhile, Vice President Han Zheng will attend Trump's inauguration as Xi Jinping's special envoy. In the United States, he is considered a wise and business-friendly leader.
Analysts believe that Trump's possible visit to China and the meeting could become an important moment for China-US relations.
Trump is also reportedly planning to visit India. But after taking charge, his main focus will be on domestic issues. Of these, border security and immigration issues are important. Apart from this, it is also known that he will travel to different states of the United States in the first week to promote the executive orders.
