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US President Donald Trump will off the busiest portion of his China visit, a summit expected to be long on pageantry and symbolism but unlikely to feature major breakthroughs on key issues like trade, US relations with Taiwan or the war in Iran.
He arrived at an elaborate welcome ceremony on Wednesday night, and his motorcade rolled past a series of American and Chinese flags, as well as skyscrapers lit with Chinese characters reading “Beijing Welcome.” The Republican president headed to his hotel afterward and had no public events.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is set to meet Trump during a ceremony on Thursday at the Great Hall of the People, a hub for legislative action by the communist government and a centre for key cultural and social events on the Western side of Tiananmen Square.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi began a three-day official visit to India, marking the first high-level diplomatic engagement from Tehran since the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran more than two months ago.
Araghchi is visiting India primarily to attend a two-day meeting of BRICS foreign ministers beginning Thursday. The Iranian foreign minister is set to hold wide-ranging bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, focusing on the escalating crisis in the Middle East.
After the Middle East conflict escalated, Iran urged India, as the current BRICS chair, to leverage its "independent role" to halt the US-Israel hostilities against Iran.
Beijing swing comes as Iran continues to dominate his domestic agenda and stoke fears about the prospect of a weakening US economy as the election season ahead of November's midterms — when Republicans will be looking to maintain control of Congress — begins heating up.
Spending so much time with Xi — especially against splendiferous backdrops — will afford ample time for Trump to discuss a series of thorny topics. Those include Iran and trade, but also Taiwan and a possible three-way nuclear arms deal featuring Washington, Beijing and Russia.
Still, progress beyond pleasantries — and lots of praise between Trump and Xi, who have spent years effusively complimenting each other publicly — might prove elusive.
(Source: AP)
The White House says Trump won't travel to China without expecting results, suggesting potential announcements on trade like Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans, beef, and aircraft. Officials also want to establish a Board of Trade with China to address commercial disputes. However, neither side has shared concrete details from the three-day visit, and Beijing’s close economic ties to Iran could complicate matters.
Oil prices steadied on Thursday as investors turned their attention to a high-stakes meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, while concerns over the Iran war continued to support crude prices.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Sean Hannity aboard Air Force One that the US is pushing China to confront Iran over its actions in the Persian Gulf. He said Chinese ships are stuck there and a Chinese cargo was hit over the weekend, likely unintentionally by Iran. Rubio called the situation a major source of instability for Asia due to energy reliance on the strait, and said the US hopes China will help get Iran to stop its current actions.
EXCLUSIVE: Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlines the high-stakes push for China to confront Iran over its actions in the Persian Gulf in an exclusive sit-down with @seanhannity aboard Air Force One:
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 13, 2026
“The Chinese have ships stuck in the Persian Gulf... A Chinese cargo got hit… pic.twitter.com/9gtJqdfvxN
(Source: Fox News)
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi is visiting India primarily to attend a two-day meeting of BRICS foreign ministers beginning Thursday. Araghchi will hold wide-ranging bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar. The escalating crisis in the Middle East and its impact on the global energy supply chain are expected to dominate deliberations at the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting.
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