U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he plans to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the coming weeks and is looking forward to the summit, despite rising tensions between the two countries. This was reported by Bloomberg, according to UNN.
Details
According to Trump, the meeting is scheduled to take place on May 14-15 in Beijing.
"I'm going to be meeting with President Xi in two weeks. I look forward to that,"
The President added that it would be a "very important trip."
Reasons for Tension
Despite preparations for the summit, relations between the U.S. and China remain strained over a range of issues, including trade, Taiwan, and the war with Iran.
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Additional escalation was caused by the situation around the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant portion of the world's energy supplies passes.
Sanctions and China's Position
The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Chinese oil refineries linked to Iranian oil. In response, Beijing has urged its companies not to comply with these restrictions.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on China to join efforts in ensuring the safety of shipping in the region.
"We'll see how they exercise diplomatic efforts and get the Iranians to open the strait,"
The summit has been in preparation for several months and is intended to be an attempt to stabilize economic relations between the world's two largest economies amid new geopolitical challenges.
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