US President Donald Trump is en route to China, expected to touch down this evening on a three-day state visit that will include meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Shortly before embarking Tuesday on the highly anticipated trip, Trump said he would be discussing a range of issues with Xi, with trade being the key topic. According to US officials cited by Reuters, both sides may announce plans for the establishment of two bodies – a Board of Trade and Board of Investment –  to boost bilateral trade and investment. 

The leaders will also hold talks on extending the trade war truce, which has allowed the US to tap China’s rich supply of rare earth minerals. 

China is also expected to make public its intention to purchase Boeing aircraft, as well as US agricultural and energy products, media reports say. 

Aside from trade, Trump and Xi will likely broach other more sensitive topics, which have ignited tensions between the two superpowers. 

Although Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he didn’t consider Iran to be a topic of discussion with Xi “because we have Iran very much under control,” it seems unlikely that the Middle East conflict will be off the agenda entirely. Washington has repeatedly urged Beijing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz by leveraging its influence over Tehran. 

Another polarising topic that the two leaders will likely touch on is Taiwan. Beijing has already expressed stern disapproval over US plans to sell weapons to Taipei. Trump has told media outlets that he would bring up the topic during the summit, even though he admitted that “President Xi would like us not to” continue arming the island.

When pressed on whether or not disagreements over Taiwan would lead to conflict between the US and China, Trump said “I don’t think it’ll happen,” underlining his “very good relationship with President Xi.” 

Trump is being joined by at least a dozen senior American business leaders, including Apple’s Tim Cook, Tesla’s Elon Musk, as well as Nvidia’s Jensen Huang. 

“I will be asking President Xi, a Leader [sic] of extraordinary distinction, to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People’s Republic to an even higher level!” Trump wrote on social media. 

According to a White House schedule quoted by Bloomberg chief political correspondent, Annmarie Hordern, Trump will participate in a meeting with Xi at 10:15 am on Thursday, with a state banquet scheduled at 6:00 pm. 

The current Xi-Trump summit will mark the first time a US President has set foot on Chinese soil since 2017. It will also be the seventh face-to-face meeting between Trump and Xi, with the most recent one taking place in Busan, South Korea last October. 

President Xi is scheduled to engage in a state visit to the US around the end of this year.