Heritage Foundation | Andrew Harding, Jeff Smith
The upcoming May 14-15, 2026, summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping in Beijing is framed as a compliance checkpoint, not a breakthrough, following their October 30, 2025, meeting in Busan, South Korea. The Trump Administration aims to assess compliance with previous agreements, including China's commitments to halt fentanyl precursor flow, eliminate rare earth export controls, end retaliation against U.S. semiconductor companies, and open markets to U.S. agricultural exports. China, in turn, seeks greater U.S. market access, tariff reductions, and eased sanctions, potentially pushing for a shift on Taiwan. While China has met some verifiable commitments, like soybean purchases, its actions on fentanyl and the Nexperia semiconductor dispute suggest a pattern of tactical cooperation rather than fundamental policy shifts. The U.S. must remain vigilant against China's strategy of horse-trading on negotiable items while avoiding concessions on strategic priorities like intellectual property theft, cyberattacks, and military coercion.
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