China confirms dates for Donald Trump’s state visit to Beijing
Trip will be first to the country by a US president since 2017 and include two bilateral meetings, according to White House
It will mark the first visit to China by an American president in almost nine years and comes at a time of heightened bilateral tensions over a range of issues, including trade, technology and defence.
The timing also intersects with a precarious US-Iran ceasefire and a dual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that is driving up energy prices and weighing on global economic growth.
On Sunday, US principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said Trump would arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening for what she described as a “visit of tremendous symbolic significance”.
According to Kelly, the US leader will attend a welcome ceremony and a bilateral meeting with Xi on Thursday, followed by a visit to the Temple of Heaven and a state banquet.
The two will meet again on Friday for a tea and working lunch, she said, adding that the US planned to host the Chinese leader for a reciprocal visit later this year.