Presidents Xi and Trump kick off high-profile Beijing summit

Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump have started a crucial series of meetings in Beijing on Thursday in a U.S.-China summit where few breakthroughs are expected on divisive issues ranging from the Iran war, trade, technology and Taiwan.Trump hopes to focus talks on trade and deals for China to buy more agricultural products and passenger planes, setting up a board to address their differences and avoid a repeat of the trade war ignited last year after Trump’s tariff hikes.Xi will likely bring up America’s decision to sell weapons to Taiwan. Trump in December authorised an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan, but has not yet moved forward with delivery.Stability in the relationship is the main goal of the two-day summit. Trump is expected to leave just after midday Friday after a final private meeting with Xi.The war with Iran is also likely to be a key topic. Ahead of the meetings, Trump hoped China would use its considerable leverage to prod Iran to agree to U.S. terms to end the two-month old war or reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz, but he has tempered those calls ahead of the summit.