President Trump’s Trip to China to Include Trade Relations, Energy Markets, and Global Security

President Trump will be boarding Air Force one for China today.

He told reporters this week that the situation in Iran will be a large focus of the talks.

“I have a great relationship with President Xi, and I think you can see in the Strait of Hormuz use they get a big percentage of their oil from Hormuz. There’s been no ships coming in, no nasty ships coming in where we end up in skirmishes. He didn’t want to see. I respect him a lot, and hopefully he respects me.”

With a Chinese oil tanker recently attacked, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are adding new urgency to the talks. Real Ag Radio’s Shaun Haney says the shared risk could give the United States added leverage at the negotiating table.

“This is one of the reasons that I have been personally optimistic about this meeting happening is and how it sort of crosses issues into the Iran war situation. One of the things to think about here from the Chinese perspective, I was reading this morning is about China not wanting to look like it’s siding with the U.S. in this kind of particular situation, and so how does President Trump convince China to assist but do so quietly so they’re able to save some of the face and some of the narrative at home? I think that, you know, if you look at increased commodity purchase commitments and getting us closer potentially to the end of this Iran war, and more so the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, that would be a double win. Can they do it? We’ll have to see, but it’s definitely I think what farmers and ranchers across the U.S. are hoping for.”

President Trump will land in China tomorrow for two days of talks and return to the White House on Friday.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is already in Asia working to strengthen economic ties with key U.S. allies. Today, he will meet with Japan’s Prime Minister. Tomorrow, he heads to Seoul for trade talks with China’s Vice Premier. Soybean purchases are expected to be a major topic in those discussions.

In a post to X, Bessent says the trip is part of advancing President Trump’s “America First Economic Agenda.”