Trump to Welcome Xi Jinping for Three-Day State Visit to Washington

President Donald Trump is expected to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington Wednesday as the Chinese leader begins a three-day state visit to the United States.

Xi's visit is scheduled for Sept. 23-25 and comes as Washington and Beijing seek to manage disagreements over trade, technology and other issues.

The two governments are approaching the visit with different priorities.

In Beijing, the summit is being viewed in the broader context of long-term competition with the United States. Washington is focused more heavily on what can be accomplished through the meetings, with expectations that the summit itself will not resolve the countries' broader differences.

The visit does carry symbolic significance. Xi is returning to the White House for the first time in more than a decade, while the two countries continue efforts to maintain stability in their relationship.

Trade is expected to be one of the central topics. U.S. and Chinese officials are discussing tariffs, Chinese purchases of U.S. goods, rare earth exports and the continuation of an existing trade truce. Reuters reports that extending the trade truce and securing additional rare-earth export licenses are among Washington's objectives.

Artificial intelligence is also expected to be part of the discussions. Both countries are competing to develop advanced AI systems, while differences remain over technology rules and safety standards.

Taiwan is another major point of disagreement. Beijing considers Taiwan a core issue, while the United States maintains longstanding policies involving the island and has continued arms sales to Taiwan. Reuters reports that Taiwan is expected to be raised during the summit.

U.S. officials have also recently reaffirmed support for Taiwan and emphasized the importance of stability across the Taiwan Strait ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting.

The summit comes as both governments seek to keep tensions from escalating while pursuing their respective economic and strategic interests.

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