President Trump fueled new hypothesis this week a couple of assembly with China’s high chief, Xi Jinping, when he advised reporters that Washington wanted to be cleaned as much as put together for a summit between the 2 leaders within the “not too distant future.”

Mr. Trump supplied no particulars, and China has mentioned nothing publicly about any such assembly. The stakes of a go to could be excessive: Mr. Trump has imposed 20 p.c tariffs on China’s shipments to america and will order one other spherical subsequent month. China needs to attempt to head off additional escalations within the commerce battle that will set again its efforts to revive the nation’s beleaguered financial system, consultants say.

However earlier than any summit can happen, China nonetheless wants solutions to 2 urgent questions: What does Mr. Trump need? Who can Beijing speak to in Washington whom Mr. Trump may take heed to?

To attempt to reply these questions, China despatched students to america to participate in unofficial diplomatic talks final month with Trump administration officers and American overseas coverage consultants. China has grown involved that the officers Beijing has been coping with on the State Division and the Nationwide Safety Council, who’re outdoors Mr. Trump’s inside circle, usually are not conveying their messages to him, among the students mentioned.

“We speak via the diplomatic channel,” mentioned Da Wei, the director of the Middle for Worldwide Safety and Technique at Tsinghua College in Beijing, who was among the many students. “That’s the traditional channel. However can that attain President Trump? Do these folks we talked to essentially know what President Trump is considering?”

China has additionally been publicly signaling its curiosity in talks. The Chinese language commerce minister mentioned this month that he wrote a letter to the U.S. commerce secretary and U.S. commerce consultant inviting them to satisfy. And Chinese language officers describing Beijing’s efforts to curtail the manufacturing of fentanyl final week urged america to return to dialogue.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi held a telephone name days earlier than Mr. Trump’s inauguration in January, however high-level communication between China and america has been restricted ever since. China’s high diplomat, Wang Yi, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke in late January, and Vice Premier He Lifeng talked to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent late final month.

Beijing needs to know what Mr. Trump needs from China in a possible commerce deal in addition to how he may reply to China’s wish list. China in all probability needs Mr. Trump to carry the tariffs; loosen restrictions on U.S. know-how exports and Chinese language funding in america; and provide assurances that he won’t provoke Beijing over Taiwan, the self-governed island claimed by China.

On the similar time, China has been making an attempt to carry agency towards the Trump administration. Beijing responded to the tariffs with countermeasures like levies on U.S. agricultural imports which can be calibrated to precise some ache, but in addition depart the door open for future commerce negotiations. A Chinese language official mentioned Beijing would “combat to the tip” in a “tariff battle, commerce battle or some other battle” with america.

However China additionally thinks a high-level assembly must happen earlier than Mr. Trump has a possibility to impose extra tariffs on Chinese language items, analysts mentioned. Such a transfer would elevate tensions between the 2 sides to the purpose the place Mr. Xi would look weak for agreeing to come back to the desk.

“The problem is, can we transfer shortly sufficient earlier than the window of alternative is closed?” Mr. Da mentioned. “If you see these unfavorable indicators despatched out with none optimistic agenda to offset them,” he continued, then “bilateral relations might bitter.”

China might even see the dearth of urgency from the U.S. aspect for high-level talks as reflecting an effort by Mr. Rubio and Mr. Trump’s nationwide safety adviser, Michael Waltz, to stonewall China. (Each are thought of hawks on China.)

“Rubio is just not within the temper to do something” when it comes to talks as a result of he considers China a risk, mentioned Wang Dong, govt director of the Institute for World Cooperation and Understanding at Peking College.

The subsequent month shall be crucial for U.S.-China relations, analysts say. Mr. Trump could impose a 3rd spherical of tariffs on Chinese language items until there are critical talks between senior officers, mentioned Wu Xinbo, the dean of the Institute of Worldwide Research at Fudan College in Shanghai, who additionally attended back-channel talks in america final month.

“My impression is that in the mean time there isn’t any substantive contact, not to mention negotiations” between the 2 governments, Mr. Wu mentioned.

Mr. Trump’s blunt-force method to diplomacy, because it had been, is a problem for China’s officers. The American chief has proven a willingness to make use of financial coercion and strong-arm ways even on his nation’s allies. He considers unpredictability to be his signature weapon. Chinese language officers are sometimes centered on protocol, on sustaining management and on ironing out particulars earlier than summits to keep away from surprises or lack of face.

Mr. Trump’s touch upon Monday a couple of go to by Mr. Xi to Washington was in all probability extra a sign of Mr. Trump’s curiosity in a gathering with the Chinese language chief relatively than a mirrored image of any summit that’s truly within the works, mentioned Evan Medeiros, a professor of Asian research at Georgetown College who served as an Asia adviser to President Barack Obama.

China is prone to need Mr. Trump to come back to Beijing, relatively than have Mr. Xi journey to america, as a matter of delight, Mr. Medeiros mentioned.

Trump officers look like involved that any first strikes by Mr. Trump to interact the Chinese language or go to Beijing would reward China earlier than officers have made any strikes to learn america and will lock america right into a cycle of drawn out and unproductive negotiations that characterised earlier administrations. U.S. officers can also need to put a firmer agenda round any such assembly, to forestall Mr. Trump from impulsively putting a cope with Mr. Xi that would compromise U.S. pursuits, analysts mentioned.

Within the absence of official conferences between the governments, different figures are stepping as much as pitch themselves as emissaries. Senator Steve Daines of Montana, who shall be visiting China this week to attend a enterprise discussion board, mentioned on Tuesday on Fox Information that he could be “speaking with the Chinese language management about what they’ll do” about fentanyl. He can even talk about the purchases by China of extra American planes, beef, wheat and different merchandise. China has not commented on any conferences with Mr. Daines.

The more durable query for China is what deal, if any, might be made between the nations. Trump administration officers might want China to purchase extra from america, however the problem is that America doesn’t have that a lot to promote, from China’s perspective, mentioned Yun Solar, the director of the China program on the Stimson Middle in Washington.

America refuses to promote high-tech merchandise to China, and a few officers regard Chinese language funding as a risk. China has mentioned any deal could be acceptable solely whether it is in step with market ideas, that means america can’t merely promote China merchandise at a a lot larger value to satisfy a goal.

For now, Mr. Trump could also be biding his time to construct leverage in a future negotiation with China, Ms. Solar mentioned, coping with different buying and selling companions whereas letting the Chinese language “stew in their very own juice on the similar time.”

Ana Swanson contributed reporting from Washington.