War distractions and limited goals risk turning Beijing talks into optics over substance, as expectations shrink and planning falters
6-MIN READ6-MIN ListenMark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan,William ZhengandDewey SimPublished: 12:00am, 15 Apr 2026Updated: 12:05am, 15 Apr 2026As US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping prepare to sit down in the coming weeks, negotiations on deliverables and scheduling have accelerated, including a possible visit to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven and a military parade, according to several people familiar with the planning process.
“This will be so interesting,” said one person knowledgeable about planning details. “You have the most predictable president and the least predictable president. God knows what will come out.”
Arrangements have built on a US working-level team that travelled to Beijing and a Chinese team that travelled to Washington in early March, shortly before the White House rescheduled the summit, citing the war, sources said.
“All I can say is President Trump’s decision to delay had been properly communicated to Beijing,” said a diplomatic source who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.
US says Trump’s China visit delayed until May because of Iran conflict
