President Donald Trump will host Chinese President Xi Jinping in April at Trump?s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The two-day meeting is tentatively scheduled for April 6th and 7th.
Reuters says the planned summit would follow a string of other recent U.S.-China meetings, and conversations seeking to reaffirm ties following months of strong rhetoric from Trump against China.
During his presidential campaign, Trump accused China of unfair trade policies, among other claims. Trump has yet to take any action regarding trade with China, including his promise to formally label China as a currency manipulator on his first day in office.
China has warned of a trade war with the U.S., should the Trump administration ignore World Trade Organization rules by implementing new tariffs. The meeting is seen as a potential step to calm some trade tensions between the U.S. and China.
Governor Terry Branstad is yet to be confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to China. He has very close ties with China’s president and spoke in an interview in late January about Iowa’s and the nation’s important trade relationship with China.
No word yet if Trump plans to invite Branstad to the meeting.
