- Published
US President Donald Trump will host Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week in Washington, with everything from AI to trade and Taiwan on the agenda for the leaders of the global superpowers.
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Trump → publish → superpowers
Xi is expected to be greeted personally by Trump at Andrews Air Force Base on Wednesday, followed by a White House welcoming ceremony on Thursday featuring a military flyover and nearly 500 military personnel.
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Xi → expect → flyover
The trip marks Xi's first visit to the US in over a decade and his third meeting with Trump since the US president began his second term in office.
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president → mark → office
Adding to the high-stakes state visit, a US-China trade agreement reached last year is set to expire in November.
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agreement → add → November
The trade truce - reached in October 2025 as Trump and Xi met in South Korea - saw Washington suspend steep tariff increases on Chinese goods while Beijing eased back from restricting rare earth exports critical for manufacturing.
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Beijing → reach → manufacturing
Experts said they will be watching for some sort of announcement around an extension of this agreement during the upcoming state visit.
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they → say → visit
Xi's trip to Washington, which ends on Friday, will have plenty of pomp and pageantry, and includes lavish dinners, private tours and performances.
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which → end → dinners
David Sacks, a fellow for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, described the planned extravagant welcome by Trump as "really unprecedented".
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Sacks → describe → Trump
"From meeting Xi Jinping at Andrews Air Force Base to having a flyover for Xi as well, this is not something afforded to any US ally," Sacks said, "much less an adversary like China.
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Sacks → meet → China
"It's quite, quite stunning," he continued.
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he → continue → ?
Trump is expected to address several issues as he meets Xi, particularly on tariffs and trade.
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he → expect → tariffs
The US president has long criticised his country's trade deficit with China, which stands at more than $91bn (£68.2bn), according to the latest US Census Bureau data, external.
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which → criticise → data
US and Chinese officials held trade talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday but failed to make meaningful progress ahead of the Xi visit, multiple sources told the BBC.
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sources → hold → BBC
The talks focused on finding areas of agreement around non-tariff trade issues and agricultural exports, according to sources familiar with White House thinking.
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talks → focus → thinking
US negotiators are expected to continue talks with Chinese counterparts in Washington on Wednesday after Xi's arrival.
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negotiators → expect → arrival
Another likely talking point between Trump and Xi is artificial intelligence, a topic that David Firestein from the Bush China Foundation said has "climbed rapidly toward the top of the agenda" ahead of this visit.
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Firestein → say → visit
China and the US are competing in what has been described as an AI arms race.
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what → compete → race
Senator Bernie Sanders wrote on X this week: "For the sake of all humanity, Trump and Xi must negotiate a treaty NOW to pause AI and ban superintelligence before it's too late."
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it → write → superintelligence
Trump's former White House advisor Steve Bannon and some Republicans in Congress have also warned about dangers posed by AI.
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advisor → warn → AI
The president, who views the technology as vital to the US economy and a battleground in a global struggle for power, has been reluctant.
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who → view → power
He views defeating China in the AI race as a primary objective.
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He → view → objective
"Whoever wins AI, wins," Trump has said.
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Trump → win → AI
Firestein told the BBC he expects Trump and Xi to discuss ways for AI collaboration.
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Trump → tell → collaboration
On Sunday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng and said the two had "very successful" talks on trade and AI.
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two → meet → trade
Experts who spoke to BBC said any major breakthroughs on AI or other issues are unlikely to occur during the many Trump-Xi meetings planned this week.
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breakthroughs → speak → meetings
Then there is Taiwan, which remains an ongoing diplomatic thorn.
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which → be → ?
The US Congress has approved a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan that awaits Trump's signature.
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that → approve → signature
He has held off for now, viewing the move as a bargaining chip with China.
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He → hold → China
China has long vowed to "reunify" with self-governing Taiwan and has not ruled out the use of force.
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China → vow → force
Firestein said he expects Xi will be looking for Trump to either commit to extending the delay of the arms sale or somehow avoiding the sale altogether.
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Trump → say → sale
Xi - like Trump - is also facing economic headwinds at home, and is expected to use this visit as an opportunity to discuss deepening US-China trade.
However, that presents a potential political problem for Trump.
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that → face → Trump
Some members of his cabinet and his supporters view China with deep suspicion.
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members → view → suspicion
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a letter, external to Ford Motor Company in September, urging the company to cut ties with China due to national security concerns and protection of American jobs.
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Duffy → issue → jobs
Regardless of the clear hurdles that remain before any new US-China deals are inked, it is clear that Trump views personal contact with Xi as vital to the process.
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Trump → remain → process
"Trump has made a decision that no matter what, we need to not have a confrontational relationship with China," Stephen Orlins, president at the National Committee on US-China Relations, said.
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Orlins → make → Relations
"He believes that the more he and President Xi meet, the less confrontational that relationship will be," Orlins continued, "and he is right."
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he → believe → ?
The Aporia
