"Emerging from the quagmire of the war in Iran" : why the meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping is so important

This is a highly anticipated event this week. Donald Trump will travel to China this Thursday May 14 and Friday May 15 to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. When the American president gets off Air Force One on the tarmac, he will appear demanding and weakened, but still confined to his posture as a powerful and serene man. Xi Jinping is also impatient.

For his visit to the Middle Kingdom, Trump will be accompanied by several files. The first aims to calm the situation in the Middle East. The President of the United States wants help from his Chinese counterpart to get out of this “quagmire”. China, Iran’s ally, could push the latter to finally sign a peace treaty.

An agreement eagerly awaited by Beijing, which would like to return as quickly as possible to the pre-war reality, where it bought 80% of Iranian oil at a good price and where its European and Asian customers were not threatened with recession.

Iran and Taiwan at the heart of the discussions?

China said it was ready to step away from its observer role and play a role in resolving the crisis. It remains to be seen what Xi Jinping will demand from Donald Trump in exchange for his aid: that the United States no longer recognizes Taiwan’s right to independence? That they waive their customs taxes? The latter still exist and irritate the Chinese Communist Party, even if they remain rather weak.

You will surely hear for two days about the signing of fantastic contracts that Trump will surely brag about: American farmers will resell soybeans to China and Washington will also be able to buy Chinese rare earths essential to the United States to rebuild their military capabilities. The two countries could also sign contracts for Boeing.

Behind all this, we will have to monitor what is happening to Iran and Taiwan. Not everything will perhaps be announced this week, since Trump and Xi Jinping begin a long series of meetings for 2026, including the G20, which will be held in Miami next December.