Chinese President Xi Jinping departed Beijing on Wednesday, bound for Washington, where he will meet with US President Donald Trump. According to state media, Xi's plane took off from Beijing, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, his right-hand man Cai Qi, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The highly anticipated talks come as the two countries confront rising fears about increasingly capable artificial intelligence systems and look to ease tensions on trade.
Trump will personally greet Xi on his arrival at Joint Base Andrews before their meetings on Thursday. The US leader was greeted by China's vice president when he landed in Beijing for his state visit in May. Xi and Peng will attend a ceremony at the White House on Thursday morning, which will include a military flyover. The two leaders are due to hold talks, and Trump is set to host Xi for a state dinner at the White House in the evening.
The visit will wrap up on Friday morning, with the two presidential couples having tea at the White House and then visiting the National Archives to round out the trip. The White House said that the visit marks "a significant milestone in the relationship between the two countries." However, the meeting between the two leaders could touch on multiple points of tension, including Trump's Iran policy, which has cast a long shadow over US-China relations.
A trade war is of great concern, with the world's two largest economies seeking to mitigate the fallout from Trump's global tariffs. The threat of war over the island of Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, looms large as well. Analysts have tempered expectations, cautioning that there might not be many concrete deals announced during the visit. Preliminary talks between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng discussed creating a communication channel for AI concerns.
The US has proposed setting up a way to communicate about AI issues, called the "US-China AI dialogue." However, released details are limited. The son of jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai made an appeal to Xi from Washington that his 78-year-old father be released. Trump said in May that he had discussed Lai's fate with Xi, but his release seemed unlikely.
China's negotiating arsenal includes its dominance in the supply of rare earths, critical materials used for high-tech products vital to US manufacturers. Beijing successfully pressured Washington to back down from its sky-high tariffs last year after imposing stringent controls on exports of rare earths. The outcome of the visit remains uncertain, with multiple issues on the table.
The talks between Xi and Trump are expected to cover a wide range of topics, with Trump telling reporters that he will be "discussing almost everything" with Xi. Despite the complexities, both sides seem committed to finding common ground, with the White House describing the visit as a significant milestone in US-China relations.
Key points
- The visit aims to ease tensions on trade and AI between the two nations.
- The talks may touch on Trump's Iran policy and its implications for US-China relations.
- The outcome of the visit remains uncertain, with multiple issues on the table.
