MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Trump leaves for Beijing tomorrow to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Yeah. The state visit was rescheduled after Trump said it wouldn't be right to leave the U.S. in the middle of the war with Iran.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It's very simple. We got a war going on. I think it's important that I be here.
MARTÍNEZ: That was two months ago. The trip is back on, but the war is not over. Instead, it's in a holding pattern. Coming up, we'll speak with Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna about what he hopes the president accomplishes on this trip.
MARTIN: But first, let's get the details with NPR senior political correspondent Tamara Keith. Tam, good morning.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Good morning.
MARTIN: So is it surprising that the president is going ahead with this trip now?
KEITH: You know, in some ways, it is. The war hasn't ended quickly and conclusively, as Trump had expected. He called the latest offer from Iran totally unacceptable. A senior U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly told me a better way to think about this is, why would he not continue with this trip and all the other duties that he has as president? Kurt Campbell, chairman of The Asia Group, says the timing is awkward.
KURT CAMPBELL: It is remarkable that President Trump is prepared to go to China under these circumstances. But may I also say that it's also deeply unusual that China's prepared to host him?
KEITH: And with a celebratory state visit at that. So think about this. China and Iran are close allies and trading partners, and the U.S. has just spent weeks bombing Iran and is now blockading all ships connected to Iran. Campbell, who's served in foreign policy roles in Democratic administrations, says the U.S. and China both have reasons to move forward.
CAMPBELL: It suggests that both believe they have interests in meeting. And I think part of that is a desire to keep a relationship that is fraught and challenging with a degree, at least, of equilibrium.
MARTIN: OK. So, Tam, you've been covering this administration for a long time. So how do you expect the ongoing Iran conflict to affect the agenda for this meeting between Trump and Xi?
KEITH: Yeah. When this visit was first put on the books last fall, the focus was on keeping the trade truce between these two powers going. And that is still on the agenda. But now there's this pressing new global challenge, says Lyle Goldstein. He's director of the China Initiative at Brown University.
LYLE GOLDSTEIN: I do think that this war will dominate the summit. I mean, let's face it. It will push a lot of other things off the agenda. I mean, if for no other reason, Trump is focused on it because he wants it, you know, off his desk, you know, as it were, I think, and wants to resolve this political problem.
KEITH: Iran's foreign minister just recently went to China and met with his counterpart there, and China is credited with helping to push Iran to accept that initial ceasefire. Goldstein says he could imagine Trump asking Xi to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and make a deal to end the war.
MARTIN: Does that change the dynamic between Trump and Xi?
KEITH: Inevitably. Ali Wein with the International Crisis Group says it favors Xi.
ALI WEIN: The war in Iran has given President Xi sources of leverage that he would not have anticipated having at the beginning of this year.
KEITH: For instance, he says the U.S. will need rare earth minerals from China to rebuild its supply of missile interceptors that have been depleted by the war. To hear Trump tell it, though, the war with Iran hasn't affected his friendly relationship with Xi. And when there have been questions about China possibly assisting Iran with the war, Trump has downplayed those concerns.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Tamara Keith. Tam, thank you.
KEITH: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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