President Donald Trump is heading into this week's summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping from a position of weakness, according to Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Reed appeared on "Fox News Sunday" with host Shannon Bream and didn't mince words: "President Trump is going into this meeting terribly weakened." He pointed to the ongoing conflict with Iran, which he described as a stalemate, and warned that "the Iranians are holding 20% of the world's oil at risk" through shipping restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing for a two-day summit with Xi on Thursday and Friday. It will be the first state visit to China by a U.S. president since 2017, when Trump met Xi in Beijing during his first term.
Iran War Complicates Beijing Summit
The summit comes as Washington seeks a permanent end to hostilities with Iran. According to a Fox News report last week, China—which has close ties to Tehran—recently ordered companies to disregard U.S. sanctions on Iranian crude purchases.
The Treasury Department last month sanctioned Hengli Petrochemical Refinery, a Chinese independent refinery, accusing it of buying billions of dollars' worth of Iranian oil. Reuters described the move as a major escalation in Washington's effort to curb Tehran's oil revenue.
Reed noted that China is "doing quite well because of their alternate energy investments." While China remains the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, the World Economic Forum said it installed 360 gigawatts of wind and solar capacity in 2024—more than half of global additions that year.
Trade and Rare Earths Also Loom
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said Trump is expected to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday night, May 13, with an opening ceremony and meeting set for Thursday morning. The trip is expected to conclude on Friday.
According to an Al Jazeera report on Sunday, Trump could also raise China's support for Russia, trade tensions, and rare earth minerals—a critical input for the U.S. tech sector. Business executives from Boeing Co. (BA) and several agricultural companies are expected to travel with the U.S. delegation, highlighting the summit's commercial stakes.
