President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are meeting at the White House Thursday for a bilateral summit that marks China's first state visit to the United States since 2015.
Xi arrived Wednesday evening at Joint Base Andrews, where Trump personally greeted him on the tarmac — the first time a U.S. president has done so at the base since 1962.
The meeting is expected to center on trade and technology, with the two leaders anticipated to project a warm relationship while significant tensions between the countries remain unresolved.
Just ahead of the summit, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that the two sides agreed to extend the Busan agreement, a trade deal reached last year that was nearing the end of its term. The agreement had worked to lower reciprocal tariffs between the two countries and ease export controls on rare earths and critical minerals. Bessent also indicated both sides are open to a broader deal.
On technology, artificial intelligence is expected to be a major topic. Trump posted on social media before the meeting that "super intelligence will be a big topic of discussion," but added he did not want to get ahead of the conversation. Technology leaders have called on both the U.S. and China to pause AI development, and at the United Nations on Wednesday, China signaled more interest in AI regulation than the U.S. has shown.
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Xi is arriving as the U.S. heads into an election season and as China looks to assert its standing on the world stage. Beyond trade and AI, several thornier issues are expected to shadow the talks.
Taiwan remains a point of tension, with some U.S. lawmakers pressing Trump to approve new arms sales to the island — something China opposes. When the two leaders met last May, Xi raised the issue, but Trump did not make a commitment.
Iran is another flashpoint. China is Iran's largest trading partner and a major importer of Iranian oil, giving Beijing a vested interest in Middle East stability. China has signaled interest in playing a larger role in regional peace efforts, even as the U.S. has sought to crack down economically on countries doing business with Iran.
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Press access to the White House for the visit also remained uncertain Thursday morning. A federal judge ordered access immediately restored for CNN, MSNBC, and Politico. At least one journalist was able to access the White House grounds, while another was turned away. Whether video from the networks would be available from the meeting remained unclear.
