Trump-Xi summit: US trade chief casts doubt on pre-meeting Beijing visit

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer addresses the media after trade talks with the Chinese delegation in Paris in March.

Photo: AFP Washington’s top trade negotiator suggested on Tuesday that, in a break from usual practice, members of US President Donald Trump’s cabinet will not visit Beijing ahead of the expected mid-May summit with President Xi Jinping to prepare or discuss deliverables. “I don’t think we’re going to need to do that,” Jamieson Greer, US Trade Representative, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television when asked about meeting his Chinese counterparts soon, ahead of the much-anticipated leaders’ meeting.

The remarks came a day after the White House indicated there would be cabinet-level engagements “ahead of time”. “I do expect cabinet officials to travel to China ahead of time,” spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing on Monday. “This is something we typically do.” Last week, Leavitt announced that Trump will be visiting China on May 14 and 15.

The trip was originally scheduled for March 31 to April 2, but was postponed citing the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran.

Beijing has not officially announced any dates for the summit.

Experts have noted that the delay in the summit could give both sides more time to produce concrete deliverables, as a lack of preparation contributed to the postponement, and the US works to secure a ceasefire with Iran.

They said the new dates are more “doable”, especially with the possibility of a meeting between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in late April to advance trade negotiations. “Current round of Iran mess could be in a period of quiet by then,” according to Sourabh Gupta of the Institute for China-America Studies. “Also, May 14-15 provides an opportunity to hash out deliverables … and possibly a Bessent-He meeting in late April … mid-May timing seems like a good and doable one.” There is uncertainty over whether anyone from the Trump administration will visit Beijing ahead of a potential meeting with Xi, as key cabinet members, such as the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defence, typically travel in advance to discuss key issues for major events involving top leaders.

There is no indication that Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth plans to make the trip.

In October last year, Hegseth met Defence Minister Dong Jun in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the sidelines of a multilateral forum, telling his Chinese counterpart that the US wil

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