BEIJING, May 12 (Reuters) - When U.S. President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs a year ago, he envisioned the move bringing the United States' main economic rival to its knees.

But political analysts say he is heading to China this week after his ambitions were curtailed by court rulings, leaving him with only a few deals related to soybeans, beef, Boeing aircraft, and a request for Chinese assistance in ending his unpopular war with Iran.

Analysts say the modest expectations for Trump’s meetings with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on May 14 and 15, the first since the fierce trade war was suspended in October, underscore the failure of Trump’s blustering approach to improve his standing ahead of the talks.

Alejandro Reyes, a professor of Chinese foreign policy at Hong Kong University, said that Trump "needs China more than China needs him."

He added, "He needs some kind of foreign policy victory... a victory that shows he is seeking to ensure stability in the world and that he is not content with just creating political turmoil globally."

Since their most recent brief meeting at an air base in South Korea, where Trump suspended tariffs that had exceeded 100 percent on Chinese goods and Xi backed down from restricting global supplies of rare earth elements, China has quietly strengthened its tools of economic pressure against Washington.

Meanwhile, Trump was preoccupied with challenging US court rulings against his tariffs and with the war with Iran, which had damaged his popularity ahead of the November midterm congressional elections.

Officials involved in planning the summit said the expected economic outcomes are limited to a few deals and mechanisms for managing trade in the future, while it remains unclear whether they will even agree to extend their trade truce.

Trump will be accompanied by a number of CEOs, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook, but the trade delegation is smaller than it was during his last visit to Beijing in 2017.

In addition to trade, Trump said on Monday that he would discuss with Xi arms sales to Taiwan and the case of jailed media mogul Jimmy Lai. The families of two Americans imprisoned in China for more than a decade are also urging Trump to seek their release.

Trump said, "We were taken advantage of for many years under our previous presidents, and now we are having great success with China... I respect him (Xi) very much, and I hope he respects me too."

Battle after battle

The atmosphere has changed dramatically since Trump announced in a Truth Social post in April 2025 that his tariffs would make China realize that the days of taking advantage of the United States were over.

Those tariffs prompted Beijing to restrict exports of rare earth elements, revealing the West's heavy reliance on vital components for manufacturing everything from electric cars to weapons, and ultimately leading to the fragile truce between Trump and Xi.

Since then, Trump has fought countless other battles, including kidnapping the president of Venezuela, threatening to annex Greenland, and waging war on Iran that plunged the Middle East into chaos and triggered a global energy crisis.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll last month concluded that more than 60 percent of Americans do not support his war on Iran.

Now, Trump wants China to persuade Tehran to reach an agreement with Washington to end the conflict. China maintains relations with Iran and remains a major consumer of its oil exports.

Matt Pottinger, who served as deputy national security adviser during Trump's first term, said at a forum in Taipei last week that China wants an outcome that diminishes U.S. influence, but is not immune to the economic cost of a protracted conflict.

China will certainly want something in return, and Taiwan is high on Xi’s agenda.

While some fear a deal that could encourage China to seize Taiwan by force, even a slight change in wording from Washington would raise concerns about the commitment of Taipei’s most important backer, which would affect other US allies in Asia.