Stable Sino-US ties linked to global outlook

United States President Donald Trump’s upcoming state visit to Beijing and his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping are fueling a high sense of anticipation across the Asia-Pacific and beyond, with analysts noting that stable China-US ties will benefit the regional and global outlook.

Trump is scheduled to visit China from Wednesday to Friday. Analysts expect that discussions on the US tariffs — which have been weighing on Asian economic growth — will be part of the closely-watched dialogue between the presidents.

“International eyes will be on this summit between Xi and Trump, what they will be discussing, whether any new deals will be made and (whether they will cover) certain deals that have been discussed previously and whether that would continue,” said Mustafa Izzuddin, an international analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore.

He said that what is important is that there is a channel of communication between the two major powers.

“I think we have to be realistic about what can be achieved,” Mustafa said. “But I think at the same time, there is hope and some degree of optimism that because the two leaders have agreed to meet, that in itself is a positive step”.

Mustafa said that Asian countries would like to see trade tensions between the world’s top two economies “kept as minimal as possible”.

“What happens between the US and China will have huge ramifications for the rest of Asia,” he said.

Amitendu Palit, a senior research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, said that most Asian economies are hoping that US-China tensions “are not going to flare up in a way that becomes damaging to the prospects of the Asian economy which leads to disruptions in Asian supply chains”.

“So I think this is where the Asian economies really have a very high stake,” Palit said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday that Xi will have an in-depth exchange of views with Trump on major issues concerning China-US relations and world peace and development.

In a news briefing, Guo pointed out that head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for China-US relations.

Trump’s visit this week will mark his first trip to China during his second term in office, and the first visit to China by a US president in nine years.

Xi and Trump last met in October 2025 in Busan, South Korea, on the sidelines of the APEC summit.

Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura Securities, said the meeting this week between the leaders “represents a critical moment in US-China relations”.

“The meeting offers both sides an opportunity to stabilize relations and secure short-term wins,” Lu said in his latest research note.

He expected trade issues to dominate the discussions, with negotiations on tariffs to be heavily influenced by the US Supreme Court ruling in February that invalidated several of the tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Palit said the US tariff issue is a key concern in Asia owing to its huge impact on international trade and supply chains.

“This is again an area of deep uncertainty,” he said. Unresolved conflict between the US and China over tariffs would create “a lot of uncertainty” over the management of supply chains, Palit added.PRIME SARMIENTO, China Daily,  MDT/China Daily