China and the United States are in the “final stage” of negotiations for a state visit to Beijing by US President Donald Trump, with bulk purchases of American goods a critical part of the deliverables, the South China Morning Post has learned.
The development comes on the heels of the fourth round of trade talks between the two sides in Spain and ahead of a phone call between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.
Trump described the talks in Madrid as a success, with both sides reaching a framework deal on the popular Chinese social media app TikTok. They also discussed critical minerals and fentanyl, among other issues, the Post was told.
The focus now shifts towards a potential high-stakes trip by Trump to China. If it happens, it will be the first visit by an American president to the Asian country since 2017.
Two sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations said “significant progress” had been made and both sides were finalising the details.
“There are a few small loose ends. But the major blocks are already resolved. Things are taking shape,” said one source, who declined to be named due to the sensitive nature of the talks.
“The deliverables may include a new deal to purchase US goods,” the source said, adding that Boeing aircraft were “very likely” on the list.
The source confirmed that China sent a formal state visit invitation to Trump in the first week of September, which usually indicates a state visit is “more or less confirmed” and that planning is in a “very advanced stage”.
“The official invitation is like the sound of a starting pistol in a 100-metre race, with the end in sight,” the source said.
“There is strong political will from both sides to make it happen. Both sides want to present this major diplomatic event as a big win for their domestic audiences.”
Another source said that apart from visiting Beijing, the Chinese side has proposed that Trump take a ride on China’s high-speed rail system to a second city – most likely Shanghai – during the trip.
Beijing considers high-speed rail a national success story that showcases the country’s economic and technological progress. On the fastest train, the 1,300km (808-mile) journey between Beijing and Shanghai takes four hours.
The eighth annual China International Import Expo (CIIE) will be held in Shanghai from November 5 to 7. In 2019, the event was opened by Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron.
It is understood that the US side has been studying the Chinese proposal carefully over concerns that the trip could be “too taxing” for Trump, who is 79 years old. There are also worries that the visit could be seen as a concession to Beijing.
“Ultimately, President Trump has the final say on where he wants to go and what he wants to do in China. He seems to be quite excited about the visit personally, but he’s got to listen to his team too,” one source said.
Trump’s China visit would open the door for Xi to reciprocate with a US visit next year, the sources said.
Both sources said the trip would likely be scheduled “around the Apec summit”, which will be held in South Korea from October 31 to November 1.
The Post has learned that the US side has pushed for Beijing to buy American goods as a key deliverable that could be announced during Trump’s visit.
US aviation giant Boeing is believed to be in talks with China to sell 500 of its commercial jets to the world’s second-largest aviation market. If the deal happens, it would be the first major Chinese purchase of Boeing planes since Trump’s last term.
Chinese purchases of American soybeans also rank high on the US agenda. In 2024, China imported about 20 per cent of its soybeans from the US, according to Reuters, a decline of 41 per cent from the total in 2016, customs data shows.
In the first seven months of this year, China bought 42.3 million tonnes of soybeans from Brazil, but only 16.6 million tonnes from the US.
It has been a busy week of diplomacy for both sides, with their defence chiefs and top diplomats in talks as well.
Last Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who stressed the need to manage differences and promote stable relations.
The call followed a video meeting a day earlier, when US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun that Washington did not seek regime change or “strangulation” of Beijing. — SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
