Trump plans China visit in April, to host Xi in US later this year

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said that he plans to travel to China in April and host Chinese President Xi Jinping in the United States later this year, signaling renewed leader-level engagement between the two countries.

“We’re gonna make a trip. I’m going in April,” Trump reporters abroad on Air Force One as he returned to the US from his two-day trip to Davos. He said the two leaders would meet twice in 2026. He added that Xi would visit the United States “toward the end of the year.”

Trump described his relationship with Xi in positive terms. “I’ve always had a great relationship,” he said. He acknowledged that ties were strained during the COVID-19 period. “It was a very strained relationship during COVID, but now it’s an excellent relationship,” he said.

The president pointed to trade as evidence of improving ties. He said China is buying more US farm products. “Look at all the farm products they’re buying now,” Trump said. “Soybeans — they’re buying a lot of soybeans.”