U.S. President Donald Trump is expecting economic deals and a "wild” welcome this week in China. He’ll arrive facing an emboldened Xi Jinping, just as his own hand is constrained by the conflict in Iran. 

When the U.S. president touches down in Beijing later Wednesday evening for a 36-hour summit, it’ll mark his first overseas trip since waging war in the Middle East. Over talks at the Great Hall of the People and a state dinner, followed by morning tea, the leaders will discuss trade, tariffs and the self-ruled island of Taiwan. Another agenda item, of course, is Iran.  

As the war extends into its third month, China appears to hold unique sway as the biggest buyer of the Islamic Republic’s oil and a strategic partner of Tehran. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged that last week when he called on Beijing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the closure of which has unleashed the biggest oil supply shock in modern history. 

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