US President Donald Trump is set to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington next week for a state visit that will include formal White House events and talks on trade, technology and critical minerals.
Xi is scheduled to arrive at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, where Trump is expected to personally receive him. The visit will be the first state visit by a Chinese president to the United States in more than a decade.
The main programme is scheduled for Thursday, when Trump and first lady Melania Trump will host Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at a White House arrival ceremony. The two presidents are also expected to review troops before holding private discussions. A state dinner is scheduled for the Chinese delegation later that day.
Trump said the dinner had attracted considerable interest, telling reporters, “Thousands of people would love to be at that dinner.” He added, “This is a very tough ticket for me.”
Tariffs, trade and rare earths on agenda
Trade relations are expected to be a central part of the discussions. Washington and Beijing have been working within a framework that has reduced some of the tariff pressures between the two countries, although several trade restrictions and disagreements remain.
Rare earth minerals are another key issue. The materials are important for several technology and manufacturing sectors, and US officials have been seeking assurances over China's supply of the minerals.
A US official said China's performance in meeting its commitments on rare earth supplies “has not been up to par of what we would expect.” Washington has also indicated that it does not intend to exchange its export controls for rare-earth supplies.
Ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York. Their discussions are expected to cover trade, artificial intelligence, rare earths and other economic issues.
Artificial intelligence is also expected to feature prominently in the talks, reflecting growing competition between the United States and China over advanced technology.
Bessent said the forthcoming discussions would include “both open- and closed-weight models.” He has also said the United States remains open to discussions aimed at managing shared risks associated with AI while maintaining its position in the sector.
Several leading technology executives have been invited to the White House state dinner, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, Google's Sundar Pichai, Nvidia's Jensen Huang, OpenAI's Sam Altman and Apple's Tim Cook.
The visit is expected to combine ceremonial engagements with negotiations on some of the most consequential areas of the US-China economic relationship. Trump and Xi are scheduled to hold their main bilateral meeting in Washington on September 24.
