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US President Donald Trump will host Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington this week for a high-profile state visit focused on artificial intelligence, trade and Taiwan, according to the BBC.
Trump is expected to greet Xi personally at Andrews Air Force Base ahead of a White House state dinner and a military flyover. The three-day visit will be Xi’s first state visit to the United States since 2015 and his third meeting with Trump in the past year.
Xi’s visit comes as a US-China trade agreement reached last year is due to expire in November. The agreement, concluded in October 2025 during a Trump-Xi meeting in South Korea, saw Washington suspend planned tariff increases on Chinese goods, while Beijing eased restrictions on rare-earth exports that are important to manufacturing.
Trade truce faces uncertainty
Experts will be watching for any announcement on extending the agreement during Xi’s visit, which concludes on Friday. US and Chinese officials held trade talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, but failed to make significant progress, several sources told the BBC.
The discussions focused on non-tariff trade issues and agricultural exports. US negotiators were expected to continue talks with their Chinese counterparts in Washington on Wednesday after Xi’s arrival.
The United States recorded a trade deficit of more than $91 billion with China, according to the latest US Census Bureau data. Chinese rare-earth exports to the US have also declined despite the agreement reached last October.
The planned welcome for Xi includes lavish dinners, private tours and performances. Xi will be accompanied by China’s First Lady Peng Liyuan, who is expected to visit the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art with US First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday.
David Sacks, a fellow for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, described the reception as “really unprecedented”, noting that such treatment was not usually extended even to US allies.
AI competition on the agenda
Artificial intelligence is also expected to feature prominently in the talks. David Firestein of the Bush China Foundation said the issue had “climbed rapidly toward the top of the agenda” ahead of the visit.
China and the United States are competing in what has been described as an AI arms race. Pressure has grown on the Trump administration to regulate the technology following several high-profile security incidents, while Trump has identified maintaining US leadership in AI as a key economic and strategic objective.
“Whoever wins AI, wins,” Trump has said. Firestein told the BBC he expects the two leaders to discuss possible areas of cooperation.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said after meeting Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Sunday that their discussions on trade and AI had been “very successful”. Several technology executives, including “OpenAI” CEO Sam Altman, “Nvidia” CEO Jensen Huang and “X” owner Elon Musk, are expected to attend the White House state dinner on Thursday.
However, experts cited by the BBC said major breakthroughs on AI or other issues were unlikely during this week’s meetings.
Taiwan remains a major dispute
Taiwan will remain another central issue in the discussions. The US Congress has approved a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan, but Trump has not yet signed off on it and has reportedly viewed the decision as a bargaining chip with Beijing.
China has long pledged to “reunify” with Taiwan, which it considers part of its territory, and has not ruled out using force.
Firestein said Xi could seek a commitment from Trump to extend the delay in the arms sale or prevent it from going ahead. Both leaders are also facing economic challenges at home and are expected to discuss closer US-China trade ties.
Such talks could create political difficulties for Trump, as some members of his administration and supporters remain deeply suspicious of China. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged “Ford Motor Company” in a September letter to reduce its ties with China, citing national security and American jobs.
Despite the obstacles to any new agreement, analysts say Trump considers direct contact with Xi essential to managing bilateral relations.
“Trump has made a decision that no matter what, we need to not have a confrontational relationship with China,” said Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on US-China Relations. “He believes that the more he and President Xi meet, the less confrontational that relationship will be.”
