US president gives conflicting messages on prominence of Iran war in upcoming talks with China’s Xi.
United States President Donald Trump has said he does not need China’s assistance in ending the war on Iran as he departed Washington, DC, for Beijing, where he is set to hold a state visit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said, “I don’t think we need any help with Iran” and declared that the US will win the war “one way or the other”.
Trump’s three-day visit to Beijing comes at a fraught time for the US president.
His approval ratings have been dragged down by the protracted war on Iran and a surge in inflation, which economists attribute in part to the disruption of global energy supplies.
The war has closed the Strait of Hormuz – through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply previously flowed – stranding tankers and causing energy prices to spike to levels that could sabotage global economic growth.
Trump offered conflicting signals on how central Iran would be to his discussions with Xi.
“We’re going to have a long talk about it. I think he’s been relatively good, to be honest with you,” Trump said before boarding Air Force One. Minutes later, he appeared to reverse course.
“We have a lot of things to discuss. I wouldn’t say Iran is one of them, to be honest with you, because we have Iran very much under control.”
He added that the financial struggles of Americans were not a factor in his decision-making in the negotiations to end the Iran war.
“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody,” he said. “I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all. That’s the only thing that motivates me.”
Trade to loom large
Trump will arrive in China on Wednesday evening and, after a ceremonial greeting, go to his hotel. He will attend a state banquet on Thursday and have a working lunch with Xi on Friday, before returning to the US.
The meetings will be the first face-to-face exchanges since the leaders of the world’s two largest economies met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Busan, South Korea, in October 2025.
It is the second time Trump will travel to China as president, and the first time since his second term began on January 20, 2025.
Xi is expected to visit the US later this year.
Trump is seeking a win in Beijing by signing deals with China to buy more US food and aircraft, saying he will be talking with Xi about trade “more than anything else”.
Underscoring the initiative, Trump invited an array of US business leaders to accompany him on the trip, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook.
The Trump administration hopes to begin the process of establishing a “Board of Trade” with China to address differences between the countries.
The board could help prevent the trade war ignited last year after Trump hiked tariffs, which China countered by tightening export controls on rare earth minerals. That led to a one-year truce last October.
The status of Taiwan also appears to be a major topic, as Beijing is displeased with US plans to sell weapons to the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory.
Trump told reporters on Monday that he would be discussing with Xi an authorised $11bn weapons package for Taiwan.
At the same time, Taiwan, as the world’s leading chipmaker, has become essential to the development of AI, with the US importing more goods from Taiwan so far this year than from China.
Trump was already portraying the trip as a success before he left the White House grounds.
He openly mused about Xi’s planned reciprocal visit to the US, lamenting that the construction of the White House ballroom would not be completed in time.
“We’re going to have a great relationship for many, many decades to come,” Trump said of the US and China. “As you know, President Xi will be coming here toward the end of the year. So that would be exciting. I only wish we had the ballroom finished.”
Iran-US talks at impasse
Trump’s visit to Beijing comes days after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited the Chinese capital. Despite Trump’s claim that he does not need China’s help, senior US officials have been pressing Beijing to leverage its influence over Tehran.
China remains Iran’s most significant oil buyer and has maintained ties with Tehran throughout the conflict, while largely avoiding direct involvement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent have, in recent days, publicly called for China to use its ties with Iran to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Officials from the Trump administration said on Tuesday that senior US and Chinese officials had agreed last month that no country should be able to charge tolls on traffic through the waterway, in an effort to project consensus on the issue before the Beijing visit.
The US Treasury has also imposed successive rounds of sanctions on Chinese companies accused of trading with Iran in violation of US restrictions.
Beijing has slammed the move and ordered its companies to ignore those sanctions.
Tensions also flared last month, when Trump threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on China after reports that Beijing was preparing to deliver air defence systems to Tehran. He later withdrew the threat, saying he had received written assurances from Xi that no weapons would be supplied.
Days later, Trump said the US Navy had intercepted a Chinese vessel carrying what he described as a “gift” for Iran, without elaborating.
Peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran, meanwhile, remain deadlocked.
The US is demanding an end to Iran’s nuclear programme and the lifting of its restrictions on the strait.
Iran has countered with calls for war reparations, an end to the US naval blockade of its ports, and a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where US ally Israel is fighting the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Trump dismissed Iran’s conditions as “garbage” on Monday.