US President Donald Trump travels to Beijing next week for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, his first visit to China since 2017.

The May 14-15 meeting was originally intended to ease tensions over trade and Taiwan, but the ongoing Iran war now threatens to dominate proceedings. Trump delayed the trip once already in March because of the Middle East conflict.

How does the Iran war affect the Trump-Xi summit?

The Iran war hands China significant leverage going into the Beijing talks. Trump is seeking a deal to end the conflict before he lands in China, and Beijing knows it.

With the US president in a weakened position, analysts say Xi may use the moment to extract concessions on trade, Taiwan, and other key issues.

What does Trump want from the Beijing summit?

For a US president who has repeatedly talked up his “very good relationship” with Xi, the meeting carries both diplomatic and domestic stakes. Trump, 79, said Xi, 72, would give him a “big, fat hug” over Iran, and that the Chinese leader had been “very respectful” on the issue.

He will also be hoping to return with major business deals ahead of midterm elections, where Republicans face pressure over high oil prices driven by the Iran war.

Trump’s administration plans to invite CEOs from companies including Apple, Exxon, Nvidia and Boeing to accompany the visit, according to Semafor, with a large Boeing deal reported to be under discussion. Trump will also be looking for agreements on AI, critical minerals and fentanyl.

Will the trade truce between the US and China hold?

One concrete outcome Beijing is pushing for is an extension of the fragile year-long trade truce that Trump and Xi agreed in South Korea last October. But China signalled on May 2 that it would not comply with US sanctions against firms targeted over Iranian oil transactions, raising doubts about how durable that agreement remains.

“It appears that the truce is not as strong as we were hoping,” Sean Stein, president of the US-China Business Council, told AFP.

Uncertainty over the summit’s timing and limited preparation mean deliverables are likely to be modest, analysts say. “The reality is that right now, Iran is critical for the US and the Chinese know that,” said Edgard Kagan of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

How much leverage does China have over Trump going into Beijing?

Analysts say Beijing holds considerable cards. “There’s actually a lot of leverage there that Beijing could use,” said Patricia Kim, a senior foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution. “Trump is looking for a win. He hasn’t had many wins in recent weeks with the war in Iran going on.”

Taiwan is one area where Xi may seek to press his advantage, with analysts pointing to potential concessions on US arms sales to the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own. Trump has previously gone off-script on Taiwan, and allies in the region will be watching closely for any signs of US wavering.

What is China’s position on the Iran war?

Communist-run China will be looking for stability and is expected to distance itself from the conflict involving its ally Iran. Beijing’s hosting of Iran’s foreign minister this week was “a sign that they realize this is coming down the pike,” Kagan said.

China is also likely to play to Trump’s well-known appetite for pomp and flattery, calculating that a slighted US president would create more problems than a flattered one.