Trump to Visit China from March 31 to April 2: White House

Trump’s volatile foreign policy approach has prompted China to engage with a number of world leaders in recent months, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Both leaders represent traditional allies of the United States and have not visited China since the Covid-19 outbreak. But the dynamics have changed amid Trump’s push to buy Greenland, impose tariffs on the European Union and pressure the bloc to increase defense spending.

In broader debates in global forums such as the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Western leaders have openly acknowledged that the US-backed post-1945 international order faces challenges; This is a perspective that partially overlaps with China’s long-held view.

During the first visit by a Canadian prime minister since 2017, Carney eased tough tariffs that Canada had imposed on Chinese electric vehicles in coordination with the United States. In return, China agreed to reduce trade barriers on Canadian agricultural products, according to CNN.

Separately, Beijing and the European Union recently softened their stance and agreed to replace tariffs on China’s electric vehicles with a commitment to maintain minimum price levels, CNN reported.

Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Politico that relations between the US and China have reached a “very good balance”, making the disputes less likely to escalate into a full-scale economic conflict as seen last year.

Bessent added that President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could meet up to four times this year and maintain a productive relationship.

“While leaders are setting the tone for the overall relationship, if there are glitches, if there are glitches, then they can participate in phone calls and de-escalate tensions very quickly,” Politico quoted him as saying.