Chinese President Xi Jinping boarded a plane in Beijing bound for Washington on the 23rd, beginning a three-day, two-night visit to the United States. Analysts expect the two leaders to focus on stabilizing relations rather than attempting to resolve their disputes outright, by extending the trade truce in place since last year and setting minimum safeguards in key areas of competition such as artificial intelligence.
State broadcaster China Central Television reported that Xi left Beijing that afternoon for Washington. The state visit, his first in 11 years, will include a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. It comes about four months after Trump's visit to China in May and marks the third summit between the two leaders since Trump's second term began.
The biggest question surrounding the summit is cooperation on AI. In talks held just before the summit, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng discussed a notification system for AI incidents and specific arrangements on trade, raising the question of how far the two leaders will push those discussions toward a formal agreement. According to The Associated Press and other major foreign media, the United States has proposed safeguards under which the two countries would notify each other if an AI model went out of control or caused a serious incident.
Reuters forecast that the contest for AI supremacy would be the central issue running through the summit, noting that while both countries see AI development as a critical element of economic and military competitiveness, they have failed to narrow differences over China's access to advanced semiconductors, allegations that it has copied U.S. technology, and regulation of the AI industry. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said export controls on advanced AI chips and semiconductor equipment are not included in the AI consultation mechanism under discussion.
As a result, observers say the Washington summit, like the Beijing talks, may extend the truce by accumulating agreements in areas where the potential for conflict is relatively low.
On trade, the main agenda items are expected to include whether to extend the trade truce reached at last year's Busan summit, along with agricultural products, energy and rare earth exports. Exports of farm goods such as soybeans, which are relatively less sensitive in the bilateral trade relationship, are seen as an area where an agreement is possible. Taiwan and Iran are also expected to be major geopolitical issues at the summit.
The U.S. side, meanwhile, is preparing protocol of the highest order, given that this is Xi's first state visit in 11 years.
Trump plans to greet Xi in person at Joint Base Andrews near Washington on the afternoon of the 23rd, local time. It is unusual protocol for a U.S. president to meet a foreign leader at the airport. On the 24th, a summit will follow an official White House welcoming ceremony and honor guard event, and a state dinner for Xi and his wife will be held at the White House that evening. On the morning of the 25th, the final day of the visit, the two leaders will hold a tea meeting at the White House before visiting the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration together.
