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US President Donald Trump is expected to confront Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding Beijing's alleged backing of Iran during the latter's three-day state visit, his first to Washington in more than a decade.
According to Fox News, this comes in light of the reports connecting Chinese firms to satellite intelligence passed prior to a fatal Iranian assault on American forces. Earlier, a Wall Street Journal reported alleged Chinese satellite support to Iran. The WSJ, citing US officials familiar with the matter, reported that Iran obtained high-resolution satellite imagery of Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan from Chinese entities before a July 17 Iranian missile attack that killed three US service members and wounded four others. The officials described the intelligence as the clearest evidence to date, in their assessment, that Chinese commercial support to Iran had potentially contributed to lethal consequences for US forces. The officials cited by the WSJ did not identify the Chinese entities involved and did not allege that the Chinese government itself had directly ordered or participated in the transfer of imagery. The report said Iranian procurement of the imagery continued even after the attack. Chinese President is set to arrive in the US. Talks with Trump are expected to cover trade, technology, critical minerals and broader US-China relations. Notably, the current US-China tariff truce, agreed at the Busan summit last October, is due to expire in November, and officials said its future, along with existing chip export licences, would be discussed, though no outcome has been pre-decided. Washington has ruled out trading away its export controls on rare earth flows in exchange for concessions, officials said, while confirming discussions are under way about reducing tariffs on a narrow band of non-strategic goods that could benefit both economies. Artificial intelligence is also expected to be a central topic, building on ideas not yet agreed upon, such as previewing new AI models between the two countries or extending oversight to Chinese open-source systems. US officials declined to detail a firm negotiating position ahead of the leaders meeting. On other contentious fronts, officials said Washington continues to press Beijing over the flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals to cartels in Mexico and that Trump is expected, based on past patterns, to again raise the cases of Americans held in Chinese prisons. The visit, detailed by senior US officials on a background briefing call, follows Trumps own trip to Beijing in May, when Xi hosted him at the Great Hall of the People, and the two leaders agreed to what they called a constructive, strategic and stable relationship". Trump is now expected to reciprocate with full state-visit honours. According to the schedule shared by officials, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, will land at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, where Trump will personally greet them. On Thursday, both couples will take part in a formal White House arrival ceremony and military review before the two presidents sit down for bilateral talks. That evening, the Trumps will host a state dinner for the Chinese delegation in the East Room, where both presidents are expected to speak. On Friday, Xi will depart from Joint Base Andrews. Despite the choreography of state dinners and archive tours, the relationships most sensitive fault line remains Taiwan. Beijing has previously warned Washington against crossing what it calls red lines on the issue, and reports suggest a pending USD 14 billion US arms package for Taiwan could still complicate the summits tone. American officials on the call did not directly address Taiwan when pressed on other subjects, an indication of how carefully both sides are managing the topic ahead of the visit. Despite the evident tensions, Trump said on Saturday Washington is doing very well with China and expects to discuss multiple agreements with Xi. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he and Xi have maintained a good relationship and expressed confidence that the upcoming meeting would produce important discussions and deals. Were doing very well with China. I would say others maybe not so well, but were doing very well with China. And President Xi and I have a good relationship. Were going to have a lot of different deals, Trump said. We intend we're not just doing it for our health. Were going to have some pretty important meetings, he added. The Chinese President's visit to Washington is set to bring the worlds two largest economies face to face over trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan. (ANI)
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