US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit China from March 31 to April 2 for a highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking a crucial summit between the leaders of the world’s largest economies. The announcement of Trump’s trip came as the Supreme Court invalidated his broad tariffs on imported goods.
A White House official confirmed the upcoming visit just before the Supreme Court dealt Trump a significant blow by striking down many of the tariffs he had imposed as part of the global trade dispute, notably targeting China.
The discussions between Trump and Xi during the extended stay in Beijing were expected to focus on extending a trade ceasefire that had prevented both nations from escalating tariffs further. However, the Supreme Court’s decision has introduced new uncertainties into the already strained US-China relationship, which had shown signs of improvement following Trump’s reduction of tariffs on Chinese products in exchange for Beijing’s commitments, such as combatting the illegal fentanyl trade and easing export restrictions on crucial minerals.
The 20% tariffs on Chinese exports to the US were enforced under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a move that the court deemed as exceeding Trump’s authority. These tariffs were linked to national emergencies related to fentanyl trafficking and trade imbalances.
While some tariffs imposed on Chinese goods under Section 301 and Section 232 trade authorities remain in effect, the fate of others remains uncertain. Trump mentioned during a press briefing that he intends to introduce a new 10% global tariff for a period of 150 days.
Trump’s last official visit to China was in 2017, making it the most recent trip by a sitting US president to the country.