_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
President Donald Trump is set to travel to Beijing next week for a two-day state visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meeting comes amid extraordinary global strain: oil prices remain volatile as the US naval blockade of Iran continues, tariffs and trade friction persist between Washington and Beijing, and Taiwan looms in the background as the object of Xi’s desire.
Both leaders are expected to announce superficial wins — likely agricultural purchases and perhaps aircraft sales — but analysts broadly agree that substantive breakthroughs on core issues are unlikely. The summit is the latest attempt to stabilize a relationship marked by rivalry and mutual suspicion, as well as by the president’s aggressive trade policy, much of which aims to counteract China’s unfair practices.
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