Trump Heads to Beijing with CEOs for High-Stakes Talks with Xi Amid Trade Fight and Taiwan Tensions

President Donald Trump is heading to Beijing for high-stakes talks with Xi Jinping as Taiwan tensions and trade disputes test U.S. strength. He is boarding Air Force One with a plane full of American CEOs, including Boeing's Kelly Ortberg and Citigroup's Jane Fraser.

The trip signals American business leaders joining the president in the world's most consequential economic relationship. The U.S. and China are working toward a managed trade framework, a so-called Board of Trade for nonsensitive goods. Both sides could identify around $30 billion worth of imports where tariffs might be reduced.

No sitting U.S. president has visited China in nearly a decade. Trump made such a trip during his first term in 2017, when nearly 30 CEOs accompanied him and signed 37 major deals worth more than $250 billion.

Recent polls show Trump's economic approval at 30% in a CNN survey, with two-thirds of Americans saying his policies have worsened national economic conditions. His overall job approval stands at 40%, down five points from last quarter, for a net approval of minus 18, the lowest across either of his terms. The share of Americans saying the economy is getting worse rose from 25% in January 2025 to 61% today.

The White House stated Americans can expect the president to deliver more good deals for the United States while in China. During his 2017 visit, the imagery of Trump flanked by CEOs and the deals that followed left a strong impression.