Trump to greet Xi on tarmac as high-stakes state visit begins

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to arrive in Washington on Wednesday evening for a three-day state visit, where U.S. President Donald Trump plans to greet him personally on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews — an unusual gesture that underscores the weight both sides are placing on the encounter.bbc+1

The visit, Xi's first to the U.S. in nearly three years and his first White House trip since 2015, comes as the trade truce reached in Busan, South Korea, in October 2025 is set to expire on Nov. 10, placing tariffs, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and Iran at the center of talks.reuters+1

Trade Truce Under Pressure

Expectations for a sweeping breakthrough are low. U.S. and Chinese officials held trade talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday but failed to make meaningful progress, multiple sources told the BBC. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng spent eight hours in New York laying groundwork, with discussions covering non-tariff trade issues, agricultural exports and AI safety.thinkchina+2

Jefferies analysts said the "single most possible deliverable" from Thursday's meetings is the launch of a Board of Trade to oversee reciprocal tariff reductions, a mechanism agreed to in principle during the leaders' May summit in Beijing. Boeing ↗ 1.12%, medical-device makers and agricultural exporters could benefit, the firm said, but it warned against expecting movement on AI chip export controls or rare-earth supplies.tradingview

An Associated Press review found that commitments from the May meeting remain only partially fulfilled. China's pledge to buy 200 Boeing aircraft has not yet resulted in orders, and U.S. agricultural purchases may fall short of the $30 billion annual target.morningagclips

AI, Taiwan and a Lavish State Dinner

A state dinner on Thursday is expected to bring together technology leaders including Apple's ↘ 0.80% Tim Cook, Nvidia's ↘ 1.47% Jensen Huang and OpenAI's Sam Altman. The agenda also includes AI governance, an area where growing industry alarm — including calls from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for a coordinated slowdown — has pushed the topic toward the top of bilateral discussions. Bessent said the U.S. has proposed a notification mechanism for AI incidents that could affect national security.cbc+2

Taiwan remains a persistent friction point. Congress has approved a roughly $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan that awaits Trump's signature. He has held off, describing the package as a "very good negotiating chip," while Xi is expected to push for the sale to be shelved.reuters+1

Domestic Pressures on Both Leaders

The summit arrives at a politically delicate moment for both leaders. Trump faces falling approval numbers amid public discontent over the U.S. war with Iran, and his Republican Party confronts tough prospects in November's midterm elections. Xi, meanwhile, contends with weak household spending and a prolonged property downturn, even as China's export engine has strengthened — the country now accounts for 40 percent of global container exports, a milestone reached this summer, according to CNBC.cnbc+1

David Sacks of the Council on Foreign Relations called the elaborate welcome planned for Xi "really unprecedented," noting the military flyover and personal airport greeting are courtesies "not afforded to any US ally, much less an adversary like China".bbc

Another meeting between the two leaders is possible later this year, potentially at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen in November or the G20 in Miami in December.reuters