Xi Jinping to visit the US from September 23 to 25: What to expect? Tariffs, Iran War, Trade Truce – 6 Points | Today’s news
China confirmed on Monday that President Xi Jinping will be on a three-day state visit to the United States (US) from September 23 to 25. Trump and Xi Jinping last met in May in Beijing.
A spokesman for China’s foreign ministry announced on Monday, according to state media Global Times, that “Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25 at the invitation of US President Donald Trump.”
Xi is likely to visit the US with his wife Peng Liyuan and skip the UN General Assembly session altogether.
Trump plans to give Xi a rare airport reception by personally receiving him on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post previously reported.
It will be Xi’s first trip to the US since 2023, when he met former US President Joe Biden during a visit that included attending the APEC summit in San Francisco.
The Chinese leader will have an “in-depth exchange” with Trump “on major issues related to bilateral relations and world peace and development” as the two countries seek to work together to “properly manage differences,” Guo said at a regular briefing in Beijing on Monday, according to Bloomberg.
What to expect from the Trump-Xi summit?
From tariffs to rare earth minerals to artificial intelligence, Trump and Xi are likely to discuss a range of issues with the ending trade truce during their upcoming summit in Washington. Here’s everything you need to know:
1. Tariff
The upcoming talks take on significance given Trump’s imminent signing of a new sanctions bill that authorizes up to 100% tariffs on the five biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas, including China and India.
China has rejected US attempts to impose tariffs on its purchases of Russian oil and gas, saying normal trade cooperation between the countries should not be subject to third-party interference.
“China opposes long-armed jurisdiction and unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and lack the mandate of the UN Security Council,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Kuo Jiakun told reporters last week.
2. The $30 billion deal
Despite the tariff threat, Washington and Beijing are also negotiating a reciprocal tariff reduction framework that would apply to $30 billion worth of products from each side, China’s commerce ministry said.
The goal of the consultations is to reach an agreement on reciprocal tariff reductions as soon as possible, said ministry spokesman Huang Ling.
Edgard Kagan, senior adviser for China studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said according to Euro News that the Chinese expect to announce duty-free or low-tariff imports of around $30 billion (26 billion euros) in exchange for meeting the purchase commitments they made in May, while Washington believes it will get more purchases in return.
Agreements on agriculture and aircraft are likely, possibly with signing ceremonies attached, and Trump has previously hinted that Boeing could be in the picture, the report added.
3. Rare earth
The debate may revolve around a fragile trade truce struck in Busan, South Korea on October 30, 2025. Under the deal, Trump agreed to lower tariffs in exchange for Beijing cracking down on fentanyl precursors, resuming soybean purchases and suspending controls on rare earth exports.
It lasts for one year and expires about five weeks after the summit. The ceasefire is set to expire in November. Both sides want to extend it, but not by the same amount.
“The Chinese wanted an agreement to extend the trade truce until the end of the Trump administration,” Scott Kennedy, chairman of the China Trade and Economy Board at CSIS, was quoted as saying by Euro News.
“The Trump administration just wants to extend it by a few months to maintain leverage with China. I think they’ll end up somewhere in the middle, probably in a year,” Kennedy reportedly remarked.
While both sides have played down expectations of major breakthroughs, investors and analysts are watching for signs of a widening trade truce.
4. Iran was
The war in Iran, which has affected energy supplies and costs, could be part of the discussion between the two world leaders. China is Tehran’s biggest oil buyer, and Xi seems in no rush to help Trump in his quest to hurt the Middle Eastern country economically.
According to reports, Washington sees Xi as uniquely able to pressure Iran to end a war that has sent Trump’s approval ratings to the lowest level of his political career.
Reuters previously reported that Beijing sells billions of dollars worth of goods to Iran through a sanctions-busting system. China’s foreign ministry says it is unaware of such a plan.
5. State dinner in the middle of the AI debate
All eyes are also on the state dinner to be hosted by Trump in Washington and attended by tech giants.
Trump said he would host a state dinner for Xi Jinping. OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon and Apple chairman Tim Cook are all expected, according to Politico, which cited four people familiar with the arrangements.
They come amid a spat the AI industry is having with itself, with Anthropic’s Dario Amodei calling for slow development of the frontier.
6. Taiwan
According to Bloomberg, Beijing is also likely to remind the US that Taiwan’s status is one of its few problems. The US is the biggest military and political supporter of the island democracy, which China considers its territory.
While Washington may want to prioritize trade talks, the US approach to Taiwan could be key for Beijing, said Wu Xinbo, a professor at Shanghai’s Fudan University who advises China’s foreign ministry.
“If you accommodate our concern on the Taiwan issue, then we would be willing to accommodate your concerns on other issues, whether it’s law enforcement or purchases of US agricultural products,” Wu said, according to CNA.
A $14 billion (€12 billion) arms package for Taiwan was tentatively approved by the US Congress in January but not formally announced, a delay interpreted as an attempt to avoid likely irritation ahead of this summit and before Trump’s visit to China.
China and the US are holding economic and trade talks
Ahead of the visit, Chinese and US economic and trade officials discussed economic and trade issues of mutual interest on Sunday local time, with artificial intelligence (AI) among the topics discussed, Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.
Top officials holding talks in New York on Sunday included Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the report added.
“The two sides held a frank, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on major economic and trade issues of common interest, including implementing the consensus reached during previous economic and trade consultations and promoting bilateral trade and investment,” the report said.
There was also a dialogue on issues related to artificial intelligence.
Ahead of the summit, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also held a telephone conversation on September 17, which focused on high-level exchanges between the two countries.
