China's President Xi Jinping departed Beijing on Wednesday, bound for Washington, where he will meet with US President Donald Trump. The highly anticipated talks come as the two countries face growing concerns about artificial intelligence and seek to ease trade tensions. Xi was accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, his right-hand man Cai Qi, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, among others.
Trump is set to personally meet 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 will host Xi for a state dinner at the White House in the evening.
The visit will conclude on Friday morning, with the two presidential couples having tea at the White House, followed by a visit to the National Archives. 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 and China's stance on Taiwan.
Analysts have tempered expectations, cautioning that there might not be many concrete deals announced. Preliminary talks between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng discussed creating a communication channel for AI concerns, but released little in the way of detail. Bessent said that the two sides discussed setting up a way to communicate about AI issues called the "US-China AI dialogue."
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 and his release was unlikely. However, Beijing did release the founder of an underground church, Ezra Jin, after Trump raised his case with Xi.
China's negotiating arsenal includes its dominance in the supply of rare earths, critical materials used for high-tech products that are 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 US and China are still seeking to mitigate the fallout from Trump's global tariffs.
The meeting between Xi and Trump comes at a critical time in the relationship between the two countries, with multiple points of tension and competition. The two leaders will discuss a range of issues, including trade, security, and AI. The outcome of the talks is uncertain, but both sides are seeking to ease tensions and find common ground.
Key points
- China's President Xi Jinping arrives in US for high-stakes talks with President Donald Trump amid rising tensions on trade, AI, and security.
- The two leaders will discuss a range of issues, including trade, security, and AI, but analysts have tempered expectations for concrete deals.
- The visit marks "a significant milestone in the relationship between the two countries," but multiple points of tension, including Trump's Iran policy and China's stance on Taiwan, could complicate the talks.
