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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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President Donald Trump's "unpredictable" diplomatic behavior could prevent his meeting his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to end the trade war between the world's two largest economies, it has been reported.
The Trump administration is under pressure to reset souring trade talks after both sides reached a tariff truce in May, according to Politico, and the U.S. leader is allegedly fixated on a phone call with his Chinese counterpart.
But Rush Doshi, former National Security Council official, told the publication that Beijing would be reluctant to put Xi "at risk of a potentially embarrassing or unpredictable encounter," referring to recent White House spats with the leaders of Ukraine and South Africa.
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Steve Tsang, director of SOAS University of London's China Institute, told Newsweek that Xi will not want to risk Trump saying unkind things about him if they meet unless assurances can be made that this won't happen.
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Trump said in a late-night social media post that Xi was "very tough" to make a deal with.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment.
Why It Matters
Any hesitation from Beijing marks a setback for U.S.-China diplomacy at a crucial point for global markets and trade. The U.S. and China last month reduced the tariffs they imposed on each other following an initial escalation by Trump, with both sides cancelling some levies and suspending others for 90 days.
What To Know
Citing an unnamed source, Politico said that Trump believes a call with Xi could help deteriorating trade talks but this is unlikely to provide the breakthrough the U.S. leader was hoping for.
The Trump administration is under pressure because of China's block on critical minerals and crucial manufacturing, and Xi is not interested in exporting any more rare earths or magnets to the United States, although the U.S. still has leverage.
The Chinese government has been "shaken" by the White House dressing downs by Trump of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Politico said, without citing a source for this claim.
Trump and Zelensky clashed in February, initially resulting in no agreement on a minerals deal and public criticism online. In May, a similarly tense meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa included Trump showing video footage alleging violence against white farmers—claims denied by South Africa.
Doshi, a NSC deputy senior director for China and Taiwan in the Biden administration, told Politico that Beijing sees Trump as "unpredictable", which poses risks reputationally for Xi.
It would not be usual diplomatic practice to put Xi at risk of a potentially embarrassing or unpredictable encounter, Doshi added.
In a post on Truth Social in the early hours of Wednesday, June 4, Trump said Xi is "very tough and extremely hard to make a deal with." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that Beijing's "principle and position of developing China-U.S. relations is consistent."
Tsang told Newsweek that if Trump's team can sufficiently reassure the Chinese leader that the U.S. president would not say unkind things about about him, Xi would be willing to speak but almost certainly not in the White House at the moment.
What People Are Saying
Rash Doshi, former deputy director for China and Taiwan at the National Security Council, told Politico: "China views Trump as unpredictable, posing reputational risks for Xi Jinping. It is not typical for Chinese officials to expose a leader to the risk of a potentially awkward or unpredictable meeting."
President Donald Trump on Truth Social: "I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!"
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian: "China's principle and position of developing China-US relations is consistent."
Steve Tsang, director of SOAS University of London's China Institute: "Xi does want to improve economic relations with Trump but not at any price. So from Xi's perspective, taking a hard line has paid off, as Trump chickened out as expected."
Scott Bessent, U.S. Treasury Secretary, said during an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation" as reported by Reuters: "I am confident that when President Trump and Party Chairman Xi have a call, that this will be ironed out. But the fact that they are withholding some of the products that they agreed to release during our agreement —maybe it's a glitch in the Chinese system, maybe it's intentional. We'll see after the President speaks with the party chairman."
What Happens Next
The U.S. administration faces mounting tension with China over critical minerals, with a temporary May truce unravelling. The White House continues to seek a call between Trump and Xi to address trade and mineral disputes. As of Wednesday, Beijing had not agreed to a date for talks.
Update 6/4/25, 5:55 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Steve Tsang.
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