The power dynamic has shifted since Trump's last visit in 2017, when China went out of its way to persuade the United States to acknowledge its growing status. This time around, it's the United States, unprompted and of its own volition, that is acknowledging that status.

The first US presidential visit to China in almost 10 years will test a fragile tariff truce.

Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump are preparing for a summit, with both China and the U.S. emphasizing stable ties.