Trump, Xi to attend state dinner after White House meeting

President Donald Trump and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping are meeting at the White House on Thursday for high-stakes talks focusing on trade, artificial intelligence and the Iran war — in between displays of military fanfare and a lavish banquet.

Trump said in an arrival ceremony speech that the two countries have been “working to encourage a more balanced trading relationship,” and that the leaders plan to discuss “pressing issues” around security, technology and AI.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday evening that the countries have agreed to extend their temporary trade truce, which lowered U.S. tariffs and suspended Beijing’s controls on exports of rare earths and critical minerals, among other stipulations. That agreement, which was set to expire in mid-November, will be extended by two months to Jan. 10, Bessent told Fox News.

“The decisions we make in these areas today can promote peace and prosperity for decades and decades to come,” Trump said in Thursday’s remarks.

Xi joined in the bonhomie. “China and the United States, as two major countries, stand to gain from cooperation and will both lose in confrontation,” he said in his own remarks, which were translated live.

“We do not need to avoid mentioning competition, but our competition should be a healthy one and should be kept within bounds. It should be a race of catching up with one another, not a wrestle in which one either wins or loses,” he said.

Xi also engaged in the Chinese specialty of “panda diplomacy,” announcing that two pandas will be coming to Georgia’s Zoo Atlanta in the coming days.

While China analysts broadly predict the leaders’ personal relationship and policy goals will result in a cautious summit that yields few major deliverables, their latest face-to-face nevertheless carries real geopolitical risk.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/24/trump-xi-meeting-china-washington.html