Iran war threatens to overshadow Donald Trump's crunch talks in China

Donald Trump is set to fly to Beijing today, accompanied by some of America's most powerful business leaders in a high-stakes diplomatic push as the Iran peace deal hangs by a thread. America’s war in the Middle East is expected to feature heavily and could derail talks on business relations between America and China . The three-day trip to Beijing will mark the US president’s first visit to the country during his second term and the first by a sitting American leader in nearly a decade. Trump has already said Xi Jinping would “give me a big, fat hug when I get there" downplaying tensions between the two countries. Trade is expected to dominate discussions as Washington and Beijing attempt to hold together a fragile truce following last year’s bitter tariff war. The conflict erupted after Trump imposed sweeping import taxes on countries worldwide in April 2025, triggering retaliatory tariffs from China that eventually climbed above 100 per cent on both sides. The measures were paused following Trump’s last face-to-face meeting with Xi in South Korea in October, but tensions have continued over trade, technology and artificial intelligence. Looming heavily over the summit is the ongoing Iran conflict. China remains one of Iran’s closest allies and largest trading partners, while the US has spent weeks bombing Iranian targets and enforcing a naval blockade on ships connected to Tehran. American officials are expected to press Beijing to use its influence over Tehran to help broker an agreement with Washington aimed at ending the conflict. China has its own reasons for wanting stability restored. Although Beijing has weathered the fallout better than many nations due to vast oil reserves and diversified energy supplies, disruption linked to the war has affected global markets and weakened purchasing power in countries importing Chinese goods. Trump will arrive in Beijing accompanied by some of the biggest names in American business and technology, highlighting the commercial importance of the visit. Among the 17 executives expected to travel with the president are Apple chief Tim Cook , Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk , BlackRock chairman Larry Fink, Boeing president Kelly Ortberg and Goldman Sachs chief executive David Solomon. Senior figures from companies including Meta, Visa, Mastercard and Citi are also expected to join the delegation. The presence of the executives highlights the breadth of US commercial interests tied to China, across aviation, banking, semiconductors, social media and manufacturing. Notably absent from the delegation is Jensen Huang, whose company sits at the centre of the escalating US-China battle over semiconductors and AI technology. Last week, Huang said it would be a “privilege” to represent the United States in China if invited. The visit is widely viewed as a major diplomatic test for both leaders at a time when relations between the world ’s two largest economies remain deeply strained despite the temporary tariff pause. The war in Iran is also expected to shape discussions heavily after it forced delays to earlier plans for a Trump-Xi meeting. Washington believes Beijing’s close economic ties with Tehran could prove critical in any future diplomatic settlement. At the same time, China is keen to avoid further disruption to global trade routes and energy supplies as the conflict continues to destabilise markets worldwide.