Trump-Xi summit: From trade to Taiwan, what will the US and Chinese presidents discuss in Washington?

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet in Washington on Wednesday as China's premier will land at Joint Base Andrews for his first state visit to Washington in eleven years. In an unprecedented gesture, Trump will be waiting receive him on the tarmac. Later, a B-2 Spirit and four F-22 Raptors will overfly the ceremony, and US First Lady Melania Trump will host Peng Liyuan, the first lady of China, for their own meeting. Just four months ago, the two leaders met in Beijing. Both the leaders seek stability in a relationship under pressure over issues ranging from trade to Taiwan and Iran, as well as global worries about artificial intelligence.

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What will Trump and Xi discuss?

The meeting comes at the backdrop of intense trade war that was started by Trump with an aim to fix American economy. As both the leaders meet, markets will watch closely. It must be noted that the tariff truce between China and the US announced after a Trump-Xi summit in South Korea last October and set to expire on November 10. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has already saidthat both the countries will make "some announcements on agriculture and non-tariff barriers."

Trade war

The White House said after the May summit that China had committed to purchasing at least $17 billion per year of US agricultural products ​in 2026, 2027 and 2028. Trump ​is eyeing to confirm the purchase of Boeing aircraft and agricultural products. However, Boeing CEO ⁠Kelly Ortberg last week played down some expectations among industry analysts that China could make another Boeing order around the Trump-Xi talks. "I think there’ll be an increment of orders going forward," he told an investor conference. "They’re going to be announced by the airlines at their pace, however ​they want to announce those."

Artificial intelligence

With renewed calls for artificial intelligence slowdown, this can be a potential area for discussion. Both the US and China have brushed aside calls for slowdown. Bessent said after talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at the weekend that the ​two sides discussed setting up a new US-China AI dialogue. This would include a notification system for common goals and common threats that would cover AI-related incidents that rise to a national security level. Dario Amodei, chief executive of US AI firm Anthropic, warned this month that Chinese dominance in AI could pose security risks to the United States. Chinese state media dismissed this warning ​as coming from a "Cold War playbook

Taiwan

Taiwan is a bone of contention but Trump did not discuss it suring Beijing meet in May. However, the Chinese side did mention with Xi cautioning US arms sales to Taiwan. While the US, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it is its most important international backer and arms supplier. Taiwan is democratically governed island claimed by China. On Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his counterparts from Japan and South Korea and reiterated the US commitment ​to the defense of those key Asian allies, and the three nations ​expressed support for Taiwan. In a letter to Trump on Friday, ⁠John Moolenaar, Republican chairman of the House Select Committee on China, wrote in a reference to Taiwan and US allies in Asia that Chinese objections to US arms sales and security cooperation should be "rejected out of hand."

Iran

China maintains close ties to Tehran and is world's biggest buyer of Iranian oil exports. With this in mind, US war in Iran has harmed China massively. Washington sees Xi as someone who will be able to exert pressure on Tehran to come to the negotiation table. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said Trump and Xi would continue discussions on China's financial ties to Tehran during the summit. However, Bessent did not impose penalties ​on Chinese banks when he unveiled an "economic ⁠onslaught" against Iran last month and warned countries to cut business ties with the country. Last week, Trump brushed aside a report that Iran acquired satellite images of a base in Jordan from Chinese entities before an attack that killed three US troops there in July. He said both the countries spy on each other.

Rare earth

Rare earth will be an important area of discussion between the two countries, with Beijing pressing the US to delay a rule that would bar thousands of Chinese firms from receiving advanced US technology, and Washington wanting Beijing to ease shipments of rare earths and critical minerals vital for high-tech applications spanning automobile to aerospace manufacturing, as well as defense. China controls up to 70 per cent of global rare-earth mining, 85 per cent of refining capacity, and about 90 per cent of rare-earth metal alloy and magnet production, according to consultancy AlixPartners.

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What is the exact schedule after Xi's arrival in Washington?

On September 24, Trump and Jinping will begin with a State Arrival Ceremony at the White House, featuring 479 military personnel from all branches, a full honour cordon, national anthems, remarks by both leaders, a military review and demonstrations, followed by a flyover by a B-2 Spirit and four F-22 Raptors. After the ceremony, Trump and Xi will hold a bilateral meeting, while Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan will visit the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art. In the evening, Trump and Melania will welcome Xi and Peng at the White House for a State Dinner, where both leaders are expected to deliver remarks. On Friday, September 25, the two couples will have tea in the Red Room before visiting the National Archives to view records significant to US-China relations, where the Trumps will bid farewell to the Chinese leaders.