Trump Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Xi: Big Show, Small Deals, Hard Questions

.

A Rare Welcome at the Airport

Trump personally greeted Xi at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday evening. Presidents rarely meet visiting leaders at the airfield, even on state visits. The greeting featured a red carpet, an honor guard, a military band and a bomber flyover.

On Thursday morning, the White House hosted a full state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn and in the Rose Garden. According to the White House, it included 479 service members and a flyover by a B-2 stealth bomber and four F-22 fighter jets. Talks in the Oval Office and a state dinner follow. On Friday, the two leaders are due to tour the National Archives.

Xi struck a friendly tone on arrival. He said the two countries should be "partners, not rivals," and that his country's national revival and Trump's "Make America Great Again" goals could go hand in hand.

.

The Trade Truce: Extended, Not Solved

The main trade question was settled before the leaders sat down. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox News that the truce, due to expire in November, now runs until January 10. He announced it after talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

The truce dates back to a deal in South Korea last October. It ended a tariff war that had pushed mutual duties above 100% (triple digits, in some cases). It also paused Chinese restrictions on rare earth exports. Rare earths are minerals essential for phones, electronics and weapons, and China dominates their refining.

More trade news may come. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has pointed to possible announcements on farm goods and non-tariff barriers. China is also said to be making progress on a pledge to buy 200 Boeing aircraft. Analysts say Xi holds the stronger hand, given China's export surge and its rare earth leverage.

.

AI: "Leave It Exactly Where It Is"

Trump said on Truth Social that artificial intelligence, which he calls "Super Intelligence," will be a big topic. He added that he wants to "leave it exactly where it is," and that China shares this view. He also said the U.S. "guardrail" is the Department of Justice.

Not everyone in the AI industry agrees that light regulation is enough. Warnings about the technology's risks have grown louder this month. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has floated a crisis hotline, modeled on the Cold War one, to prevent dangerous incidents. Analysts doubt that fierce AI competition will allow anything beyond symbolic agreements.

Trump is also expected to keep firm export controls on advanced U.S. technology, which Beijing wants loosened. Tech leaders including Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman, Elon Musk and Jensen Huang are on the dinner guest list. AFP reports that Xi's delegation includes no CEOs.

.

Taiwan and Iran: The Sharpest Edges

Taiwan is the most sensitive issue. Xi is expected to press Trump to halt U.S. arms sales to the island, according to sources cited by Reuters. Trump has held back a package worth about $14 billion since the May summit in Beijing and called it a "very good negotiating chip."

Allies in Japan and the Philippines worry that Washington could soften its support for Taipei in exchange for economic gains or Chinese help on Iran. Reuters reports that China has offered to help pressure Tehran. So far there is little sign Beijing will lean on its partner in earnest.

Both leaders have reasons to want calm. Trump faces falling approval numbers over the Iran war, and midterm elections are coming in November. Xi faces economic challenges at home. Former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell called the summit a showdown between two strong leaders, more about projecting strength than negotiating details.

.

Human Rights: The Topic Beijing Calls a "Red Line"

Rights advocates are using the visit to push their causes. Families of Americans held in China, including Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Hunt, say they are close to securing their release. A U.S. official said Trump is likely to raise the cases of wrongfully detained people.

The White House has not said whether Trump will also raise Tibet, the Uyghurs or religious freedom. China's ambassador, Xie Feng, wrote that democracy and human rights are "red lines." Uyghur and Tibetan groups have held demonstrations in Washington this week. U.S. secretaries of state from both parties have called China's treatment of the Uyghurs genocide.

Past Chinese leader visits to the U.S. also drew protests from Falun Gong practitioners, according to the America First Policy Institute. The think tank says practitioners face surveillance and threats even on American soil. Falun Dafa, also called Falun Gong, is a spiritual practice that has been persecuted in China since 1999.

.

Meanwhile at the UN

The summit overshadows the annual UN General Assembly in New York. Xi did not attend, which prompted Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group to ask where real decisions are made. Trump has criticized UN agencies and cut U.S. funding, and the organization faces deep budget cuts.

The U.S. paid $725 million last week, according to the UN, but still owes about $1.3 billion to the regular budget and $2.9 billion for peacekeeping. Even so, the General Assembly remains a busy meeting place. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy talked with Trump there about ending the war with Russia. U.S. and Iranian envoys also communicated indirectly through mediators.

.

Outlook

The Oval Office talks and the state dinner are still ahead, so the final results are not yet known. Experts expect limited, reversible outcomes, such as trade extensions, farm and aircraft purchases, and cooperation on AI safety.

More meetings are planned, and the Council on Foreign Relations says Trump and Xi are due to meet twice more in 2026. The key question is whether Washington keeps its leverage on Taiwan, technology and human rights while enjoying the calm.

.

Sources

1. Reuters, "Trump welcomes Xi to Washington looking for a trade win": https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-welcomes-xi-washington-looking-trade-win-2026-09-24/
2. Reuters, "Trump-Xi meeting outside UN spotlight tests world body's clout": https://www.reuters.com/world/china/diplomatic-split-screen-trump-xi-meet-2026-09-24/
3. Reuters, "Trump says he'll discuss AI with Xi but wants to 'leave it exactly where it is'": https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-says-hell-discuss-ai-with-xi-wants-leave-it-exactly-where-it-is-2026-09-24/
4. The White House, First Lady's release on the state visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2026/09/first-lady-melania-trump-releases-details-ahead-of-his-excellency-xi-jinping-president-of-the-peoples-republic-of-china-and-madame-peng-liyuans-visit-to-the-white-house/
5. PBS NewsHour / AP, "China's Xi kicks off state visit to Washington with a rare planeside welcome from Trump": https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/chinas-xi-kicks-off-state-visit-to-washington-with-a-rare-planeside-welcome-from-trump
6. NBC News, "Trump-Xi summit: Leaders meet at White House amid tensions over Taiwan, trade and AI": https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/trump-xi-summit-meet-white-house-tensions-taiwan-trade-ai-rcna598073
7. CNBC, "America's Asian allies want a Trump-Xi truce — but not at their expense": https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/09/24/uss-asian-allies-want-a-trump-xi-truce-but-not-at-their-expense.html
8. Radio Free Asia, "As Xi lands in Washington, Uyghurs and Tibetans press Trump for human rights showdown": https://www.rfa.org/english/china/2026/09/23/xi-trump-summit-washington-2026/
9. The Washington Times, "Families and advocates use Xi's visit to highlight detained Americans, human rights abuses in China": https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/23/families-advocates-use-xis-visit-highlight-detained-americans-human/
10. AFPI, "Xi Visit Redux: Safeguarding Against Chinese Communist Party Violence on American Soil": https://americafirstpolicy.com/issues/xi-visit-redux-safeguarding-against-chinese-communist-party-violence-on-american-soil/
11. Council on Foreign Relations, "Xi Jinping Visits the White House": https://www.cfr.org/articles/xi-jinping-visits-the-white-house
12. AFP via Dawn, "Trump welcomes Xi to Washington with lavish praise": https://www.dawn.com/news/2032298/trump-welcomes-xi-to-washington-with-lavish-praise

.