Figure caption, Watch: What’s at stake when Trump and Xi meet in the US? ByBrandon DrenonReporting fromWashington DC Updated 1 hour agoUS President Donald Trump will host Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week in Washington, with AI, trade and Taiwan expected to be on the agenda for the leaders of the global superpowers.
Xi will be greeted personally by Trump at Andrews Air Force Base on the eve of a White House state dinner and a military fly over. The three-day trip marks Xi's first state visit to the US since 2015 and his third meeting with Trump in the past year.
Adding to the high-stakes state visit, a US-China trade agreement reached last year is set to expire in November. The trade truce - reached in October 2025 as Trump and Xi met in South Korea - saw Washington suspend steep tariff increases on Chinese goods while Beijing eased back from restricting rare earth exports critical for manufacturing.
Experts said they will be watching for some sort of announcement around an extension of this agreement during the forthcoming state visit. Xi's trip to Washington, which ends on Friday, will have plenty of pomp and pageantry, and includes lavish dinners, private tours and performances.
He will be accompanied by First Lady Peng Liyuan who is expected to visit the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art with US First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday. Figure caption, Watch: Rare look at the remote data centres powering China's AI ambitionsDavid Sacks, a fellow for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, described the planned extravagant welcome by Trump as "really unprecedented".
" From meeting Xi Jinping at Andrews Air Force Base to having a fly over for Xi as well, this is not something afforded to any US ally," Sacks said, "much less an adversary like China." It's quite, quite stunning," he continued.
Trump is expected to address several issues as he meets Xi, particularly on tariffs and trade. 2bn), according to the latest US Census Bureau data, external.
Also, Chinese rare earth exports to the US are down, external despite the agreement last October. The talks focused on finding areas of agreement around non-tariff trade issues and agricultural exports, according to sources familiar with White House thinking.
US negotiators were expected to continue talks with Chinese counterparts in Washington on Wednesday after Xi's arrival. Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesImage caption, China's First Lady Peng LiyuanAnother likely talking point between Trump and Xi is artificial intelligence, a topic that David Firestein from the Bush China Foundation said has "climbed rapidly toward the top of the agenda" ahead of this visit.
