President Donald Trump on Tuesday pushed back on reports saying he’s looking for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but strangely conceded it’s possible he could visit China at Xi’s invitation, which Trump confirmed had been extended.
“I may go to China, but it would only be at the invitation of President Xi, which has been extended. Otherwise, no interest!,” Trump said on Truth Social.
He had introed the remarks by stating, “The Fake News is reporting that I am SEEKING a ‘Summit’ with President Xi of China. This is not correct, I am not SEEKING anything!“
Bilateral talks among US and Chinese high-ranking delegations hosted in Stockholm this week could result in an extended tariff truce. The US side is headed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and there’s been ample speculation this could lead to an eventual meeting with Trump and Xi later this year. But amid the anticipation, speculation, and bilateral trade dialogue, Trump clearly desires to keep the upper-hand by claiming he’s not actively seeking a Xi meeting.
“We have a good relationship with China,” Trump had reiterated Monday as the third round of talks were poised to ensue. “China’s tough.” According to commentary from Rabobank:
Yesterday, China and the US also sent trade representatives to Stockholm to discuss extending the present tariff truce. While neither Scott Bessent of the US nor He Lifeng of China spoke to reporters after yesterday’s chat, conversations are expected to resume this morning. Bessent has said that “trade is in a very good place with China.”
China starting in April had reportedly laid out a set of preconditions for resuming trade talks with President Trump and his administration, as Bloomberg reported at the time, citing an insider source:
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Demand for Respect: China wants a more respectful tone from the U.S., particularly reducing disparaging remarks from U.S. cabinet members. Beijing was especially angered by Vice President JD Vance’s recent “Chinese peasants” comment. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman called Vance’s remarks “ignorant and disrespectful.”
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Unified U.S. Messaging: Chinese officials are confused by conflicting signals from Washington. While Trump’s tone on Chinese President Xi Jinping has been moderate, hawkish comments from other high-ranking White House officials have conflicted. Without a clear and consistent U.S. position, China sees little value in engagement.
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Point Person: Beijing wants the Trump administration to designate a point person to oversee trade talks.
Early last month Trump had said something similar to his Monday “China’s tough” remarks, describing President Xi as “extremely hard” to make a deal with, which had come a mere days after the president accused Beijing of violating an agreement to roll back tariffs and trade restrictions.
Meanwhile, in related news…
Trump’s reported snub of Taiwan president spurs concerns over deference to China
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 29, 2025
“I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!,” Trump wrote on June 4. We could say that both will probably be very tough with each other, and time will tell in terms of an end result.
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