North Korea, trade deficit top Trump’s agenda in China
BEIJING — The standoff over North Korea’s nuclear weapons and demands that China do more to balance trade with America will dominate President Donald Trump’s agenda in Beijing.
Trump’s meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping will be grander than their informal April talks at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. That visit was most memorable for Trump informing Xi about ordering a missile strike on Syria while they ate a dessert of chocolate cake.
Officials from both sides say Trump has forged a personal connection with Xi, and Chinese officials have said they expect the leaders to continue to have “in-depth, constructive, friendly and productive” talks.
Xi was named last month to a second five-year term as the leader of China’s Communist Party at a congress that elevated his status as China’s most powerful leader in decades. In a recent interview, Trump likened Xi to “a king.”