Trump-Xi Summit Final Countdown: US C-17s Land in Beijing; CFR, CSIS Analysts Brief Taiwan-Trade-Iran Agenda; Taipei Watches for Arms Sales Concessions; 4 Days to May 14-15 Meeting

With the Trump-Xi Beijing summit 4 days away (May 14-15, 2026), final preparations intensified on May 10 as US military C-17 transport aircraft landed in Beijing for logistics setup — a standard indicator of imminent senior official travel. Council on Foreign Relations and CSIS analysts published pre-summit briefings warning that Taiwan heads Beijing's agenda: Xi Jinping is expected to press Trump to limit US arms sales to Taiwan, oppose Taiwan independence, and refrain from senior US official visits to Taipei. Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly confirmed the US will discuss Taiwan at the summit. Taiwan's core concern is that Trump, who has previously expressed arms-sales discussions with Beijing in a February 2026 phone call with Xi, may offer informal concessions on Taiwan's procurement pipeline — particularly the $14B PAC-3 MSE/NASAMS package that remains on hold pending the summit. The Taiwan Strait's pre-summit sortie sequence (29 on May 2 → 22 on May 7 → 12 on May 8 → 8 on May 9 → 12 on May 10) reflects PLA's deliberate escalatory signaling designed to shape diplomatic expectations. Taiwan Deputy FM Francois Wu's warning — 'What we are most afraid of is to put Taiwan on the menu' — has become the defining phrase of the pre-summit diplomatic atmosphere. The HIMARS payment deadline crisis (May 31, following May 9 procedural warning) adds further urgency: Taiwan's budget must clear procedural hurdles to disburse funds before US cancels the procurement case.