Hillbilly wisdom: there is a time when you have to take care of business yourself. The importance of the situation can only be handled in person. Delegates or representatives are useful but limited in authority. President Trump will travel to China this week for talks. A trip postponed earlier because of the Iranian War. A war which has disrupted energy flows to the world in general and China in particular. His last trip to China was Nov 2017.

Trade, economic deliverables, and nuclear security are possible reasons for the talks with Chinese President Xi Jining .

During Trump’s second term China exports to the US dropped @20% in 2025- due in part to Trump’s tariffs and this year trade is down an additional 11% year to year to the US while up over 21% overall.

Trump has forbidden nations to deal with Iran under threat of additional tariffs. China has 25 year contracts and deals with Iran. Plus China has over 100 billion loans with Venezuela backed by oil. And Taiwan is the main issue according to China.

In other words Trump is in deep shit. Except for a military he has a weak bargaining position. Will China be any more agreeable than Iran to strong arm tactics?