Trump Rolls Out Red Carpet for Xi Jinping... "China Holds Leverage with Rare Earths"

President Trump to Personally Welcome Xi Jinping and Wife on the 23rd
Preparing for an Unprecedented State Reception
China Holds Advantage in Bargaining Leverage Competition

U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing a "lavish welcome ceremony" for Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will make a state visit to attend a U.S.-China summit, including personally greeting Xi at the airport and arranging a fighter jet flyover. President Trump launched a trade war against China after the start of his second term in February last year. However, analysts say that Trump's move toward an unconventional display of hospitality is a response to China's tough stance, which has put the U.S. on the defensive.

On May 15th, U.S. President Donald Trump (left) made a state visit to China, where he was welcomed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. President Xi is scheduled to visit Washington D.C. on the 23rd for a U.S.-China summit. Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to the White House on the 21st (local time), President Trump will personally greet President Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland near Washington, D.C. on the 23rd. It is highly unusual for a U.S. president to go to the airport to personally receive a foreign leader.

At the official state welcome ceremony the following day, a B-2 Spirit strategic bomber and four F-22 Raptor fighter jets will perform a congratulatory flyover. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will join President Xi and Madame Peng for three official events: the state welcome, a state dinner, and a tea meeting at the White House. Meanwhile, Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan will also visit the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art.

Foreign media outlets note that China now holds more "bargaining leverage" than the U.S. The Associated Press reported that while President Trump tried to pressure China with high tariffs and export controls after his "Day of Liberation" declaration last April, China countered using its dominance of the rare earth supply chain, and the U.S. was unable to achieve its desired results. Michael Kovrig, Senior Advisor at International Crisis Group, said, "Trump dramatically changed his approach to China as his initial attempts to use ultra-high tariffs and export controls proved unsuccessful. Xi Jinping gained the upper hand in the leverage competition."

Bloomberg also pointed out that as the Trump administration has poured massive funds into diversifying the rare earth supply chain, China has widened the gap by expanding into magnets and electric vehicle and robot components. Even if Washington secures new mines, analysts suggest that, at the processing, magnet, and component stages, the U.S. may still be dependent on Chinese technology and production capabilities.

U.S. President Donald Trump is moving by vehicle after a meeting with Zohran Mamdani, New York City Council Member, on the 21st. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

There is also criticism that President Trump's alliance policies have created an unfavorable negotiating environment for the U.S. The Washington Post analyzed that as Trump has repeatedly clashed with traditional allies, the U.S. is "increasingly left on its own" when facing President Xi.

Amidst this, the key issue drawing the most attention at this summit is whether the U.S.-China trade truce, set to expire around November 10, will be extended. After agreeing at the Busan summit last October to suspend the imposition of additional tariffs and prevent escalation, the two countries have maintained a trade ceasefire.

Jamieson Greer, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), said in a Bloomberg TV interview that the two sides will continue to discuss an extension of the truce. When asked whether an extension of three to six months would be appropriate, he said, "That’s probably the right range." However, in an interview with Fox News, he drew a line, saying, "There will be no giant grand bargain," because "the two countries’ economic and political systems are just too different."

It is also possible that the cross-strait (China-Taiwan) issue, which is of particular interest to China, and an end-of-war proposal for the Iran conflict—which the U.S. has been involved in for seven months—will be put on the negotiation table. Foreign media also noted that a commercial deal, such as China’s purchase of U.S. agricultural products and energy, which could be touted as a domestic economic achievement by President Trump ahead of the November midterm elections, may be discussed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.