decade - and comes at a pivotal moment for ties between the world's two largest economies. Executives from some of America's biggest companies - including Boeing, Citigroup and Qualcomm - are expected to travel with Trump, potentially to make deals with Chinese firms. It will also mark a key test in the fragile trade truce between Washington and Beijing. In April 2025, Trump unveiled sweeping import taxes on countries across the world, friend or foe. A major effect of that policy was a tit-for-tat trade war between the US and China that saw them hit each other with tariffs that topped 100%. The tariffs were paused after Trump and Xi's last face-to-face meeting in South Korea in October. But threats from both sides have continued.

The trade war began in 2018 when President Trump imposed tariffs on $250bn of Chinese imports, fulfilling his campaign promise to make trade fairer for the US. China, heavily reliant on American demand for its manufactured goods, was caught off guard. Trump also levied tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and Europe.

President Biden continued the pressure, keeping Trump's tariffs and adding restrictions on Chinese tech firms like Huawei and TikTok, while effectively blocking Chinese EVs from the US market—leading some economists to call Biden even more protectionist than Trump.

After returning to office in 2025, Trump doubled down with 20% tariffs on China, escalating to 34% on "Liberation Day." China retaliated by targeting US agriculture and leveraging its near-monopoly on rare earths. An October 2025 meeting between Trump and Xi led to a fragile truce: China suspended export controls and agreed to buy US agricultural goods, while Washington reduced some tariffs and eased semiconductor restrictions. However, a permanent resolution remains elusive, and the ongoing Iran conflict now looms large over US-China relations. (BBC)