Wetin we know about Trump visit to China

When China leader Xi Jinping go host im American counterpart for Beijing dis week, Donald Trump go remember im last visit for 2017 – dem welcome am well well, even give am dinner inside di Forbidden City, honour wey no US president ever get bifor am.

Di way dem go receive am dis week go big like dat, including stop for inside Zhongnanhai, di special compound wey China top leaders dey live and work. Di agenda too go also hard, wit Iran as new source of tension, togeda wit trade, technology and Taiwan.

But plenty tins don change as Trump dey come back to China wey strong and more serious. Now wey Xi don dey inside im third term wey never happun before, di ambitious Xi don dey push plans for "new productive forces" wit big investments for renewable energy, robotics and artificial intelligence.

If di American president and im administration wan see di kain future wey Beijing don dey pursue for di last ten years, dem need look beyond di strong centre of di capital wia dem go spend most of dia time.

For di far, rough north, solar and wind power don take over wide lands. For di hardworking south, automation dey reshape factories and supply chains, and megacities like Chongqing don turn to something wey influencers dey always post.

Billions of state money don transform Chongqing, one hard manufacturing hub deep for the south-west, to strong power symbol of changing China wey dey embrace new tech, new trade and new word – trendy – as e dey try show the world more friendly face.

Back for 2017, China dey try prove say e dey equal wit diUS, according to Ali Wyne, senior research and advocacy adviser for US-China relations at International Crisis Group.

"I tink say di Chinese delegation use plenty diplomatic effort try show say President Xi be geopolitical equal to President Trump. Wetin surprise me be say dis time around, dat kind statement no necessary again from the Chinese side."

Washington now dey see China as "near-peer", according to Wyne, wey describe Beijing as "arguably di most powerful competitor wey di United States don face for dia history".

'America First' vs China's long game

Trump too fit be di most unpredictable foreign leader wey China don ever meet. Dem even get nickname for am here - Chuan Jianguo, wey mean "Trump the nation builder". Online, plenty Chinese pipovbelieve say im divisive policies and trade wars don help China grow by weakening America global position.

"E no dey care about di consequences at all," one middle-aged man tok as e dey holiday for Chongqing. "E suppose know say we dey share di same world. Na global village. E no suppose always put America first."

Di man tok say e no wan make dem mention im name as e stand among crowd wey dey rush go places wey dem fit see Chongqing bright neon skyline wey stack on top each oda.

"China don dey make forward-looking strategies for decades," e add, as di world "cyberpunk capital" dey light up behind am for evening time.

Chongqing dem carve am out from mountain bicos builders no get anywia else to go except go up. Road dey climb and twist around steep hillsides, while subway dey move under ground and later pass through different layers of buildings. Evritin dey overlap to create wetin travel journalists don call China "8D" city.

Just like tourists wey dey sit up, visitors wey dey for boat down dey also try snap di best picture: di vertical landscape wey dey tower over Yangtze River wit colours like electric blue, magenta and red.

Dis na city wey dey show Beijing plan to rival American power in many ways. China don dey strengthen im soft power and dey give overseas tourists visa-free entry. Around two million of dem put Chongqing for dia must-see list last year togeda wit Beijing and Shanghai.

But Chongqing big growth get cost. Building am involve one of di biggest long-term urban construction efforts for modern history. And di local govment, wey get population of over 30 million pipo, now get plenty debt. Slow economy and struggling property sector no dey help.

Beyond di city modern skyline na older neighbourhoods wia workers dey sort packages or sell fruits and vegetables just to make small money daily. Trump tariffs and now the US-Israeli war for Iran dey add pressure to Chinese economy as house prices dey fall, unemployment dey rise and low spending still dey kontinu.

Through all di tins wey dey happun, di Chinese Communist Party tight control still remain strong. Plenty Chinese pipo dey careful to tok politics and even though dem get message for Trump, dem no want make dem mention dia names.

"I wan tell Donald Trump make e stop to dey cause wahala," one nail technician tok, wey say her investments don suffer becos of global economy downturn afta Middle East crisis.

Still some young pipo see di US as a beacon of freedom and opportunity.

"Wen I tink about di US, I think about its liberty and pipo dia fit find dia personality and discover dia potential," one fashion student wey dey holiday wit her friend tok.

"Na kontri wey full of creativity and wisdom and many Chinese young pipo go like to get education dia."

Dat dream don bicome more uncertain bicos of strained relationship between di two superpowers for recent years. But e don also make Chinese engineers dey drive innovation for dia own kontri.

Di race: From robots to EVs

For one two-storey flagship laboratory inside one of di many new business hubs for Chongqing, group of kindergarten children dey laugh wit joy as dem dey watch one robot fish swim around for tank.

Oda humanoid robots come alive and dey show dia kung-fu or funny dance moves. Dia children dey eager to show off to BBC cameras and di teacher dey help dem practise dia English by making dem repeat together: "Dis robot fit dance!"

China already get di largest number of industrial robots for dia factories, and di state plan to invest around $400bn for robotics dis year alone.

Chongqing, wey dey for di centre of dis investment, dey aim to bicom di Silicon Valley of western China. But here and across di kontri, Chinese robotics fit need American help.

Robots need fast-working brain and na why China dey eager to buy more high-end AI chips from US company Nvidia. Dis fit be one problem for dis week meeting.

For 2022, Biden administration try to slow down Chinese AI and robotics by denying dem cutting-edge semiconductors. President Trump don relax dat policy. Last year, e clear way for Nvidia to begin sell some of its advanced chips to China but not di most advanced ones.

As China and US dey compete for technological power, analysts believe say bigger concern dey as AI dey rise.

Some pipo fear say one bad actor wit laptop for bunker anywia fit hack health services, or find nuclear launch codes, and dem tok say dis na time for both leaders to tink about di greater good, instead of great power competition.

Competition go surely decide wetin go dey for agenda. China don already dey do evritin wey e fit to make sure say e no go depend on US as im main trade partner.

China exports go US don drop by about 20% for di last few years and America now be China third-biggest trade partner, behind South East Asia and European Union.

Di show wey follow Trump last visit no stop US from putting big tariffs on Chinese goods and Beijing learn im lesson.

Wen Trump become presidential frontrunner for 2024, Chinese officials start work. Dem sit down for tink tank meetings for Washington as dem hear am again dey warn say e go control wetin e see as unfair Chinese trade practices.

Wen di tariffs come last year, China be di only kontri wey no gree back down. Whether di fragile trade truce go hold, or lead to more serious deal, na di big question for ds week. But di last year don really make Beijing bold.

"We no depend on US market," na wetin Lucia Chen tok, wey dey sell electric cars for Sahiyoo, one company for Chongqing, wey be important city for dis push of self-reliance. Chongqing dey lead di kontri for car manufacturing, wey support China position as di biggest car-maker for di world.

Xi call for direct rail links from hia pass Central Asia go Europe wey cost about $5bn, and Chen dey find dis rail link useful to sell more goods to customers.

"I dey very optimistic about di future development of Chongqing EV industry," she tok during factory tour. "My family and friends don all change from fuel cars to EV. Becos of Iran war, petrol prices don rise well well and many buyers dey consider EV for di first time."

Even as di crisis for Middle East still dey go on, Trump dey come China partly to try end di war. E go hope say China go help to arrange deal wit im friend Tehran - anoda sign say Beijing now get big role for world stage.

Di US president like to boast say e get good relationship wit Xi and e fit feel say e fit negotiate wit China leader.

E go also want something wey clear from dis summit and if e come Beijing and fit waka go tok say e convince Chinese make dem buy more American goods, e fit see am as win.

Glimpse of di future?

For China, di win fit dey for one smooth, well-organised state visit.

One trade deal go be big relief but even if dat one no happun, one US president visit afta almost 10 years go make Xi message shine more – say China open for business and to di world.

"I feel say China dey bicome more and more connected to di world, more join wit international community," na wetin one photographer for Chongqing tok.

"E dey veri difficult for me bifor to see pipo wey get blonde hair like you - but now I dey see plenty foreigners. All of us be like one family."

E be one of many pipo wey dey benefit from one kind strange local economy wey don grow for hia. For river side, opposite where one local train dey enter one residential tower, one line of visitors stand dey open mouth watch.

One woman dey shout give her husband make e take the picture well as di train dey come - she dey chew like person wey don finish better food. E look like one kind funny trend, but "Chongqing train eating" don go viral.

One man - wey don pass 70 years - dey joke say as e join dis social media show, e dey help am "feel young for mind".

Na dis kind China Xi want make di world see more as e dey try show say e be sign of stability compared to Trump wey no dey predictable.

Already within like one year since Trump come power, world order don change well, wey make Beijing hand strong more.

Im "America First" style don make allies and rivals dey shake from tariffs wey dey come and go, while Beijing roll out red carpet for many political leaders from di West, including UK, Canada and Germany.

Of course, dis no be di full picture. Surveillance dey evriwia, govment control media tight, and any kind disagreement or criticism against govment or kontri leaders no dey allowed.

But for Chongqing, many visitors dey see sometin wey fit look like film scene from future.

Di way di city take change fit be success story or warning sign. Either way, e dey show di world – and Donald Trump - small preview of wetin China hope say go happun for future.