China’s top diplomat said on Thursday (May 7, 2026) that ties with the U.S. have been in general stable despite “many twists and disruptions,” and called on both countries to find a way to contribute to global peace, a week before President Donald Trump is expected to visit.

During a meeting with members of a U.S. bipartisan congressional delegation, led by Senator Steve Daines, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi credited Presidents Xi Jinping and Mr. Trump for “helping steer the direction of bilateral relations at critical moments.”

“Over the past year, China-U.S. relations have gone through many twists and disruptions, but we have still managed to maintain overall stability,” Mr. Wang said.

Mr. Daines, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a strong supporter of Mr. Trump, agreed and said that both countries should look for stability.

“I strongly believe that we want to de-escalate, not decouple. We want stability, we want mutual respect,” he said.

Mr. Daines added that after the leaders meet next week, “perhaps we could see some more Boeing airplanes purchased, which I know would be something we would like to see.”

The senator also recognised China’s efforts to help reduce tensions in West Asia and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He said that Mr. Wang’s meeting on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) with the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was proof of China’s engagement.

Ahead of Mr. Trump’s visit to China, scheduled for May 14-15, the U.S. government has been pressing Beijing to use its influence with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of the world’s oil normally flows.

It was Mr. Daines’ second trip to China since Mr. Trump took office last year. He previously visited in March 2025, when the two countries were locked in frictions over trade tariffs and efforts to combat illegal fentanyl trade.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ​began a meeting with his ‌Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi in Beijing on ​Wednesday (May 6, 2026), state news agency ⁠Xinhua said.

Mr. Araqchi’s one-day trip comes a week ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‌scheduled visit to Beijing for a summit with President Xi Jinping ‌on May 14 and ‌15.

U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to China on May 14 and 15 for a rescheduled summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the White House has announced.

Mr. Trump, who was earlier scheduled to travel to Beijing by the end of this month, postponed his trip due to the war in Iran.

Announcing Mr. Trump’s “long-awaited” trip to China, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday (March 25, 2026) the U.S. President and First Lady Melania will also host President Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for a reciprocal visit to Washington DC at a later date this year.

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Responding to a question about whether the two leaders spoke about the conclusion of the war as a precondition to reschedule this meeting, she answered there was no discussion about the rescheduling of the meeting between the President and Mr. Xi.

“President Xi understood that it’s very important for the President to be here throughout the region right now. He understood, obviously, the request to postpone and accept it, which is why we have a meeting,” Ms. Leavitt said.

Asked if the war would conclude by the time of the meeting in May, Ms. Leavitt said, “Again, as I’ve said, we’ve always estimated approximately four to six weeks.” Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi last met in person in October on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Busan, South Korea.

Mr. Trump said last week, while meeting with Irish Prime Minister Michel Martin in the Oval Office, that he would be going to China in five or six weeks’ time instead of at the end of the month. He said he would be rescheduling his trip to China.

“We’re working with China, they were fine with it,” Mr. Trump said. “I look forward to seeing President Xi. He looks forward to seeing me, I think,” he added.

The U.S.-Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28 and the retaliation by the Islamic nation extended the war to the entire Gulf region.

The U.S. and Israel attack killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The joint strikes came after days of build-up, with Mr. Trump ramping up the pressure on Tehran to agree to a new deal on its nuclear programme.

The conflict has also taken a major toll on energy supply chains, especially across the Strait of Hormuz.

With a focus on U.S. President Donald Trump visiting Beijing next month, China appears to be carefully weighing its response to the Iran crisis, calibrating what would have ordinarily been a strong condemnation of massive military strikes on a close partner.

On Sunday (March 8, 2026), China’s Foreign Minister and Politburo member Wang Yi, in his annual 90-minute remarks with Chinese and foreign journalists along the sidelines of the National People’s Congress (NPC) or legislature, called for an end to “a war that should not have happened” and warned of the return of “the law of the jungle”.

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At the same time, it was made clear that preparations were in full swing to ensure Mr. Trump’s upcoming visit to Beijing would be successful.

Mr. Wang also praised Mr. Trump, saying the Presidents of both countries were “leading by example” and “providing an important strategic safeguard for the China-U.S. relationship to improve and move forward”, ahead of what he described as “a big year” for China-U.S. relations.

Mr. Wang took questions on issues China sees as its diplomatic priorities, including relations with the U.S., Russia, India and Japan – the only countries that received specific mention. He also broadly addressed China’s ties with Europe, Latin America, Africa, ASEAN, and the Global South.

On India, the Chinese Foreign Minister said relations had been given a “fresh start” following the 2024 meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan, and their second meeting in Tianjin last year when China hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Mr. Xi is expected to visit India this year for the BRICS Summit, and Mr. Modi is likely to head to China when it is its turn to host next year.

Mr. Wang said both sides “must step up to the plate, and support each other’s BRICS presidency over the next two years, so as to make BRICS cooperation more substantive and bring new hope to the Global South.” He said Beijing was “heartened to see reenergised interactions at all levels, a new record in bilateral trade, and closer people-to-people exchanges.”

‘Partners, not rivals’

In addition to cooperating as part of BRICS, he put forward three other measures for relations, including maintaining “the correct strategic perception of each other as partner rather than rival, and opportunity instead of threat”; jointly safeguarding peace and stability in the border areas; and focusing on “development, which is the biggest common denominator of our two countries” to “produce more visible outcomes of practical cooperation.”

On Sunday (March 8, 2026), the ongoing Iran crisis and the China-U.S. relationship received the most attention. “This is a war that should not have happened,” Mr. Wang said, repeating China’s “calls for an immediate stop to military operations”.

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Beijing remains especially concerned about the implications to its energy security from continuing instability in West Asia, at a time when it is already dealing with economic headwinds at home. At the opening of the NPC last week, Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s work report announced a lowering of China’s GDP target to “4.5% to 5%”.

Economic concerns also underpin Beijing’s interest in ensuring economic relations with the U.S. remain on an even keel. Without naming the U.S., he said “a certain country is erecting tariff barriers and pushing economic and technological decoupling.”

Mr. Wang downplayed the idea of a China-U.S. “G2”, saying “there are more than 190 countries”, but added that “the relationship between China and the U.S. is one of far-reaching and global implications.” “Sliding into conflict or confrontation,” he said, “could drag the whole world down.”