President Donald Trump will become the first U.S. president who has dined in the Forbidden City since the formation of modern China. This honor will be granted to him as part of his official visit to the country, in hopes that he loosens his criticism of North Korea and disregards China’s trade surplus with the United States.
The president and the first lady are to land in Beijing on Wednesday, where they will be given a tour of the Forbidden City. Trump is then to have dinner with the Chinese President Xi Jinping. Ming Wang, a professor of government and politics said Trump will be given “an exceptional reception” which the Chinese hope will please him and will work to their advantage.
During Trump’s “state visit-plus”, he will receive numerous perks as a strategy on China’s behalf to “get him to back off some of his more hostile rhetoric” on Pyongyang whose nuclear and missile program Trump is hoping to put an end to, according to Aaron Connelly from the Lowy Institute for International Policy. While in South Korea, Trump pointed out that he sees China as an important player in this issue, noting that Xi “has been very helpful.”
Another issue President Xi hopes to distract his U.S. counterpart from, apart from North Korea, is the $26.62 billion trade surplus in October as a result of the 6.9 percent rise in China’s exports. The U.S., on the other hand, will want China to restrict its economic relationship with North Korea and provide them with help to convince the regime to negotiate.
Michael Fuchs, senior fellow at think tank Center for American Progress, believes the Chinese are looking for a “smooth visit full of pomp and circumstance and very little substance” and adds that President Trump will have to try to get past all the pomp and “get down to business” if he wants to achieve some success on the two issues.
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