China frustrated by last minute scramble to plan Xi-Trump summit

The White House’s lack of communication about Trump’s expectations for the visit has also been an issue for Beijing. Read more at straitstimes.com.

With three weeks until US President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing is frustrated by what it sees as insufficient US preparation that may limit the landmark summit to trade agreements and leave key diplomatic and security matters untouched.

Chinese officials are dissatisfied with what they consider last-minute planning ahead of Mr Trump’s arrival on March 31, according to one person familiar with the preparations.

The White House’s lack of communication about Mr Trump’s expectations for the visit has also been an issue for Beijing, said a separate person familiar with the matter, who wasn’t authorised to speak publicly.

The Chinese frustrations stem, in part, from the White House’s departure from Beijing’s standard practice of hosting US high-level officials to lay the groundwork for a state visit. Before Mr Trump’s last trip to China in 2017, for example, the US dispatched both a secretary of state and commerce chief to China months before the US leader’s arrival. 

The White House didn’t reply to a request for comment. China’s Foreign Ministry said both sides “maintain communication on the interaction between the two heads of state,” without elaborating.

An advance party of lower-level US officials arrived in Beijing earlier in March, according to people familiar with the matter. Their visit and Chinese irritation with the pace of planning were first reported by the South China Morning Post.