Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun emphasized at a press briefing on May 11 that China is ready to “expand cooperation and manage differences” with the United States when U.S. President Donald Trump visits on May 13-15 for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In response to a CCTV reporter’s question, “What does China hope to achieve through the visit?” Guo outlined, “At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President Donald Trump is set to pay a state visit to China later this week. The two Presidents will yet again meet each other in person since their Busan [South Korea] meeting last October. This will be the first visit to China by a U.S. President in almost nine years. President Xi will have in-depth exchanges of views with President Trump on major issues concerning China-U.S. relations and world peace and development.
“Heads-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for China-U.S. relations. China stands ready to work with the U.S. to expand cooperation and manage differences in the spirit of equality, respect and mutual benefit, and provide more stability and certainty for a transforming and volatile world.”
China takes the long view of diplomacy, of earnestly seeking a pathway to involve President Trump in steady and improving relations to supersede tense confrontation, and to halt wars, such as in Iran. China will pursue beneficial means for joint U.S.-China development.
The semi-official Chinese publication Global Times expresses guarded optimism for the summit in its May11 editorial, “Keeping Giant Ship of China-U.S. Relations on a Steady Course”:
“China and the U.S. should also be fully capable of continuously ‘shortening the list of problems and lengthening the list of cooperation.’ As the world’s two largest economies, China and the U.S. account for more than one-third of global economic output and approximately one-fifth of global merchandise trade. Stable and healthy economic and trade relations between the two countries serve as a key driver for boosting market confidence and propelling the global economy toward stabilization and recovery. In addition, the two countries have strong prospects for cooperation in combatting illegal immigration, telecom fraud, money laundering, artificial intelligence, and infectious diseases. Regarding global governance and international hotspot issues, coordinated efforts on food security, energy security, and other issues would help address global challenges and promote stability in troubled regions.”
However, President Trump will find that the relations between the two countries have undergone a change since he met President Xi on November 8-10, 2017 in Beijing. On May 2, 2026, China’s Ministry of Commerce officially activated its 2021 “Blocking Rules” for the first time, ordering companies and individuals within China not to recognize, enforce, or comply with U.S. sanctions imposed on five major Chinese petrochemical firms over these firms’ purchase and processing of Iranian oil. This unprecedented action mandates that Chinese entities disregard U.S. restrictions.