Joyce Lau Lee See

Donald Trump is heading to China for a state visit from May 13–15, and regardless of your political viewpoint, this is a major moment for the global economy. The fact that this visit is happening at all tells you something important: despite years of tariffs, sanctions, technology restrictions and increasingly aggressive rhetoric from both sides, the United States and China still cannot ignore each other. These are the world’s two largest economies, deeply connected through trade, manufacturing, finance, supply chains and technology, and what happens between them affects almost every country on the planet. From China’s perspective, this visit projects confidence. Over the last several years, China has faced enormous external pressure from the US and its allies, particularly in areas like semiconductors, AI and advanced manufacturing. But instead of slowing down, China accelerated its push toward domestic innovation and industrial self-sufficiency. Chinese companies are now leading globally in sectors like EVs, batteries, solar, drones and increasingly AI. Beijing likely sees this visit as recognition that attempts to economically isolate China have not achieved the intended result, and that the US still needs to engage with China on trade, manufacturing and global stability. From the American side, this could signal a more pragmatic shift in strategy. The reality is that many US companies still rely heavily on Chinese manufacturing capacity, rare earth supply chains and consumer demand. At the same time, inflation, supply chain instability and rising global competition have forced Washington to reconsider how far economic decoupling can realistically go. The US still wants to compete with China technologically and strategically, but there is also growing recognition that competition alone cannot define the relationship forever. This does not mean tensions suddenly disappear. The rivalry between the US and China is still very real, especially around AI, chips, trade, military influence and global leadership. But high-level meetings like this matter because they shape the tone of the relationship moving forward. The next few days could have significant implications for tariffs, export controls, investment, manufacturing and broader market confidence. Whether people support China, support the US, or sit somewhere in the middle, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the future global economy will not be built around one superpower acting alone. The US and China are both too large, too interconnected and too important to the modern world for that.