Trump Announces Plans to Visit Turkey and China This Year

President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he plans to visit Turkey and China later this year. He also mentioned that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit the United States in September.

During his visit to the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where he unveiled a Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar to join the US presidential fleet, Trump said, "We are making many visits. I will go to Turkey. And I will return to China sometime this year."

He added, "President Xi Jinping will come here in September, but we will return to attend a major conference in China."

In May, Trump visited China and praised the trade agreements reached with Beijing, stating, "We made some really great trade deals for both countries." However, China took a more reserved tone when discussing the outcomes of that visit.

China has expanded its use of export controls beyond rare earth metals, targeting global supply chains and seeking to enhance its trade influence in response to the United States and its allies.

On the return flight from Beijing, Trump announced that China agreed to purchase 200 Boeing aircraft, along with agricultural products worth more than $10 billion, as well as energy and medical devices. The agreement also included broader trade exchanges involving sales of advanced semiconductor chips produced by companies such as Nvidia.

Chinese statements did not provide similar detailed confirmation of these agreements.

Trump's visit to Beijing marked the first US presidential visit in nearly a decade since 2017, occurring amid tensions over the Iran war, Taiwan's status, and a trade war involving tariffs under a fragile truce between the two countries.

Trump described the visit as "wonderful," praising the achievements and emphasizing that the US-China relationship is among "the most important" in world history.

Regarding US-Turkey relations, Trump did not visit Turkey during his first presidential term from 2017 to 2021.

Although personal ties between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan were close during that period, tensions existed due to disagreements at the time.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that President Trump will attend the NATO leaders' meeting in Turkey in July.

In September of the previous year, Trump hosted Erdoğan at the White House, expressing satisfaction with Ankara's use of American equipment and tools. Erdoğan noted that US-Turkey relations have followed a different path during both of Trump's presidential terms.

Turkey angered the Trump administration in 2019 by purchasing Russian S-400 missile defense systems. In response, Washington canceled a planned sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and removed the country from the joint production program for these aircraft. Turkey later agreed to a deal to purchase F-16 jets.