Diplomacy & Geopolitics
Trump-Xi summit likely to extend truce, analysts say
US President Donald Trump's September 24 White House summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected by analysts to extend a relative easing of tensions rather than produce major agreements.
Trump told reporters he would discuss "almost everything" with Xi. The agenda is expected to include artificial intelligence, trade, Iran sanctions and Taiwan, as Washington and Beijing try to manage rivalry between the world's two largest economies.
Artificial intelligence is expected to be a central issue. The United States and China are competing for technological dominance, and Washington has used restrictions on advanced chips to try to slow China's progress. Wang Dong, a professor at Peking University, said major AI deals were politically out of reach for now because both countries fear losing ground.
Trade remains another major issue after Trump's global tariffs. Yue Su of The Economist Intelligence Unit said there was room for progress on tariffs, agricultural purchases and selected export controls.
Iran sanctions are also due to be discussed. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to meet Chinese counterpart He Lifeng before the summit. Trump has played down reports that Chinese entities supplied Iran with satellite imagery for an attack on a US military base in Jordan, saying Xi had "behaved reasonably well" and that the United States also spies on China.
Taiwan remains one of the most sensitive topics between Washington and Beijing. Beijing claims the self-governing island as its territory, while the island is also a global semiconductor hub.
Human rights cases may also feature. The son of jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai appealed from Washington for Xi to release his father. Trump said in May that he had discussed Lai's fate with Xi. Beijing released underground church founder Ezra Jin after Trump raised his case with Xi.
The White House is also preparing ceremonial elements for the visit, including an honor guard, a new helipad and a state dinner. Possible concrete outcomes include the announcement of further meetings, with Trump and Xi expected to meet in November at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen and Trump expected to invite Xi to the G20 summit in December at his Doral resort in Miami.
Update
Trump said he would discuss "almost everything" with Xi Jinping at the September 24 meeting.
Analysts quoted by AFP said the summit is more likely to extend a relative truce than produce major concrete results.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is due to meet Chinese counterpart He Lifeng for pre-summit talks including Iran sanctions.
The son of jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai appealed from Washington for Xi to release his father.
Further Trump-Xi meetings may be announced, including possible meetings at APEC in Shenzhen and the G20 at Trump's Doral resort.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 September 2026 at 04:47:34 UTC.
Update
Artificial intelligence is expected to be a major issue when Xi Jinping and Donald Trump meet in Washington next week.
The United States and China remain far from a substantial agreement on AI, according to the supplied material.
Chinese firms including DeepSeek and Moonshot AI have released open-weight models described as close to leading closed US systems from OpenAI and Anthropic.
US export controls on advanced chips remain a point of tension, while the Trump administration has eased licensing rules for some chips and moved to restrict others.
House Speaker Mike Johnson warned against emergency AI regulation, saying the United States could lose the race to China.
Donald Trump accused AI safety advocates of bad faith in a Truth Social post.
Chinese Minister of State Security Chen Yixin described AI as a main battleground for global competition.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the two countries should have guardrails and close communication on AI.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 September 2026 at 01:24:19 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The actual outcomes of the September 24 summit remain uncertain.
Any major AI agreement appears unlikely but has not been ruled out in the supplied material.
Further meetings have been suggested or expected, but no final summit outcome is established.
Source
AFP news report published on .