Trump-Xi Summit: Trump to ask Xi to 'open up' China
What you need to know
- President Donald Trump has departed the US for China
- Trump expected to land in the evening of May 13 and stay through May 15
- Trump says he will ask Xi in their meeting to 'open up' China
- US president is accompanied by US business leaders
Welcome to DW's coverage of the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing on May 13, May 14 and May 15.
Skip next section READ — Trump-Xi summit: High stakes for the US, China and the world05/13/2026May 13, 2026READ — Trump-Xi summit: High stakes for the US, China and the world
Dang YuanAfter postponing his trip in March — having just recently launched the war with Iran — US President Donald Trump is set to visit China's leader Xi Jinping in Beijing at the end of the week.
The meeting comes as the world faces an ongoing energy crisis due to the Strait of Hormuz blockadeand peace negotiations between Tehran and Washington seem to be deadlocked. Meanwhile, entrenched trade disputes between China and the US still lurk from behind the scenes.
Against this backdrop, both countries have an incentive to ensure the meeting between the two leaders comes off as a success. Neither Trump nor Xi are ready to lose face. Both want to remain the "strong man."
DW looks at the topics due to be on the two leaders' agenda, and the prospects of the highly anticipated talks.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DfsMSkip next section Elon Musk, Jenson Huang accompanying Trump on Air Force One05/13/2026May 13, 2026Elon Musk, Jenson Huang accompanying Trump on Air Force One
A coterie of aides, family members and business leaders are accompanying President Trump on his trip to Beijing.
These leaders include:
- Nvidia's Jensen Huang
- Apple's Tim Cook
- Tesla and SpaceX's Elon Musk
- Kelly Ortberg from Boeing
- Brian Sikes from Cargill
- Citi's Jane Fraser
- H. Lawrence Culp, GE Aerospace
- David Solomon, Goldman Sachs
- Micron's Sanjay Mehrotra
- Meta's President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick
Trump says he will ask Xi to 'open up' China
During his flight to China, Trump said his first request of China's President Xi Jinping would be to "open up" China to US business.
"I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to 'open up' China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People's Republic to an even higher level!" Trump posted on his Truth Social from Air Force One.
The "brilliant people" referred to by Trump are US business leaders accompanying him on the trip.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DfiYSkip next section Welcome to our coverage05/13/2026May 13, 2026Welcome to our coverage
Kate Hairsine | Rana Taha EditorPresident Donald Trump has departed the United States for China, where he is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday for his highly anticipated summit with President Xi Jinping.
The meeting between the two world leaders comes at a critical moment for the world amid the war with Iran, spiking energy prices, trade and artificial intelligence.
"We're the two superpowers,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House on Tuesday. "We're the strongest nation on Earth in terms of military. China's considered second."
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