As a reminder, US president Trump is scheduled to meet with China president Xi Jinping next week on 14-15 May. The meeting will take place in Beijing and will mark the first time since a US president has travelled to China since 2017. There will be a lot of things to talk about and we’re already starting to see the groundwork get laid out this week.
US senator, Steve Daines, has led a delegation to Beijing – which includes senators Maria Cantwell, Deb Fischer, Mike Lee, and Jerry Moran. They are meeting with key Chinese officials including top diplomat Wang Yi today. The visit will also reportedly include some visits to tech businesses in Shanghai.
Daines is a familiar face in dealing with China, with this being his seventh trip to the east since being elected to Congress. He was part of a management role in Procter & Gamble in the past, working in a capacity to launch American brands to compete against Chinese products in China itself. So, there’s that for a little background.
The latest headlines from the meet up today sees Daines say that “we want to de-escalate and not decouple”. Adding that the US and China will work together on the basis of mutual respect.
He doesn’t deny that there are discrepancies on trade between the two sides at the moment though. That as he says that “we will have some trade issues”. However, that is the whole point of his visit and mid-level discussions before Trump and Xi sit down to put on a show next week.
Daines did say that “perhaps we could see some more Boeing airplanes purchased”. So, that’s a bit of a teaser on what to expect.
The Trump-Xi summit will no doubt be a show of de-escalation and an effort to stabilise the relationship between the US and China. That especially after the more tumultuous period following the tariffs war last year.
As for any trade deals signed, don’t expect that to make a material difference or suggest a major breakthrough in trade. Both sides will agree to put on a show and sign off on things
