Trump-Xi summit: Who all will be watching, what does the visit mean for Taiwan, Iran and India?

US President Donald Trump will arrive in China on Wednesday (May 13) for his two day visit of the country. The highly anticipated presidential summit in Beijing is being framed as a business-focused summit aimed at stabilising ties between the world’s two largest economies. And despite tensions over artificial intelligence, export controls, rare-earth minerals, Taiwan and the ongoing Iran war the two nations are deeply linked through trade worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

The presidential summit between two superpowers of the world will closely be watched by Taiwan, India and Iran.

What does Trump, Xi summit mean for Taiwan?

The Trump-Xi summit comes with high stakes for Taiwan, the island democracy that China views as its breakaway province. Since Trump's return to the White House, political analysts have witnessed greater ambivalence toward Taiwan, an approach that could be of concern for the Taiwanese regime ahead of Trump's China visit.

The nation of 23 million people has spent decades living under threat from the China, which claims Taiwan as its territory despite never having control over it.

One section of political analysts in the US believe that China "may offer Trump a deal: cooperation on tariffs, fentanyl, U.S. business access, or global flashpoints like Iran and Ukraine in exchange for Trump accepting a larger Chinese role in Taiwan’s future," reported Fox news.

What does Trump, Xi summit mean for Iran?

For Iran too, the summit is a high stake one as the ongoing geopolitical tensions in West Asia are expected to feature prominently during the discussions.

A senior administration official told news outlets in an anonymous briefing on Sunday that Trump could “apply pressure” to China on Iran in areas such as oil sales and Tehran’s purchase of potential dual-role military-civilian goods.

China is one of the nations most severely impacted by the closure of the vital waterway, as it acquires nearly 20 per cent of its energy through the strait. Beijing has called for open and secure shipping multiple times; however, it has termed the US naval blockade "a dangerous escalation of unilateralism."

Washington expects Chinese support to persuade the Islamic Republic to accept its peace terms, as Beijing remains one of the major importers of Iranian oil despite the ongoing crisis.

The US is expected to use this week's summit to present evidence of "dual-use technology" transfers and demand that Beijing use its leverage as a mediator in the “Islamabad Talks” to secure a final deal. For the Trump administration, the goal is clear: to press China to withdraw its economic and tacit military support, forcing Tehran to accept the current peace proposal.

What does Trump, Xi summit mean for India?

While for India, the Trump, Xi meet is equally important as experts say that a weaker Trump may grant Beijing concessions that could impact New Delhi not only economically but also geopolitically.

Also, the world’s two largest economies - Beijing and Washington - are the biggest trading partners of India.

There are scare that Trump could set aside past policy and side with Beijing on several issues just like he did while imposing tariffs. India was hit by steep trade tariffs along with other US allies like Brazil, Japan, South Korea, and the European Union, while China got concessions after threatening to block the supply of rare earths to America.

New Delhi will also be closely watching what conclusion both the countries reach on Strait of Hormuz as most of its oil and gas passes through the vital chokepoint that has been blocked by Iran after the war began with US.