Trump heads to China today for high-stakes meeting with Xi

Politics Trump heads to China today for high-stakes meeting with Xi By Kathryn Watson Kathryn Watson Politics Reporter Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Kathryn Watson May 12, 2026 / 6:00 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — President Trump heads to China Tuesday for a highly anticipated summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, following through with a meeting Mr. Trump delayed due to the war with Iran. Trade will be a major topic for the two leaders, but the tenuous situation in Iran and supply chain bottleneck in the Persian Gulf will be inescapable topics. The president said Monday they'll also discuss energy and Taiwan. Xi is looking to bring Taiwan fully back under Beijing's control without intervention from the United States. Mr. Trump spoke highly of Xi ahead of their meeting. "He's a great gentleman. I find him to be an amazing, amazing man," the president told reporters Monday in the Oval Office. "I have a very good relationship with President Xi," the president also told reporters in the Oval Office last week. "You know, I find him to be a tremendous guy. And we get along well, and you see how we do — we do a lot of business with China, making a lot of money. We're making a lot of money." The president said on Truth Social last week that Xi would give him a "big, fat hug" when they meet. Mr. Trump is expected to leave the White House Tuesday for the summit. Beijing is 12 hours ahead of Washington.  A number of business leaders could join the president's delegation to Beijing, according to a White House official, who said the invite list includes Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook, Blackrock's Larry Fink and Goldman Sachs' David Solomon, among others. It's not clear who will join the trip.What Washington and Beijing wantBoth China and the U.S. want to ensure their relationship is stabilized, and neither country has much of an interest...