China's trade surge strengthens Xi's hand ahead of Trump summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping enters the September 24 meeting with surging exports, while US President Donald Trump seeks trade stability amid the Iran war and domestic political pressures, shifting leverage in their favor of Beijing. In the four months since their last meeting, China's global trade has surged while Trump's approval ratings have fallen, tempered expectations for the Washington summit. Analysts say Xi is in no rush to make concessions, focused on extending last year's trade truce to fortify China's position, while Trump is constrained by a costly Iran war affecting his popularity and Americans' wallets Preparatory talks in New York on Sunday covered AI guardrails and non-sensitive trade, far from Trump's earlier tariff threats. China's trade surplus is on pace to top $1 trillion for a second straight year, with over half of product categories sold to the US growing. Taiwan may surface, as Xi has pressed Trump on arms sales, and Washington sees Xi as able to pressure Iran, though Beijing shows little inclination, analysts note