Every week that passes without a face-to-face meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping gives fresh grievances time to accumulate. That growing list is testing both sides¡¯ ability to keep ties steady between the world¡¯s top economies.
In the past few days, China has launched retaliatory probes into U.S. trade practices, while a bipartisan group of American senators visited Taiwan to press for more spending to deter a Chinese invasion of the chip hub. As Trump¡¯s war in Iran continues to disrupt global commerce crucial to China¡¯s growth, Beijing on Tuesday issued a joint call with Pakistan for an immediate ceasefire.
As those tensions build ahead of a much-anticipated leaders¡¯ summit delayed to mid-May, the White House has signaled its intent to keep ties steady. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said that cabinet officials will travel to China in the coming weeks, a move that could reassure Beijing after officials previously signaled dissatisfaction with Washington¡¯s last-minute preparations.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.