Trump plans grand spectacle for potentially tense Xi talks

US President Donald Trump will greet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the tarmac at the Maryland military base.

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington on Sept 23 for a three-day visit where the superpowers’ tensions over trade, technology and Tehran will play out against a backdrop of pomp and ceremony.

For the Chinese leader’s first trip to the United States in nearly three years, Trump will greet Xi and his wife on the tarmac when they arrive in the evening on Sept 23 at the Maryland military base that hosts Air Force One.

The fanfare is due to include a state dinner with tech luminaries, a White House military ceremony including jet flyovers and a visit to the National Archives where the original Declaration of Independence and Constitution are housed.

Despite their deep disagreements, both sides pressed ahead with the summit, which analysts say seeks to project stability between the world’s biggest factory and its biggest consumer.

Expectations for a breakthrough during Xi’s visit are slim.

The countries’ 11-month trade truce sunsets in November, but the two sides are at odds on issues ranging from Taiwan to narcotics and rare-earth minerals.

People familiar with the plans say Xi is likely to forcefully raise Beijing’s claim to Taiwan, a topic Washington prefers to avoid, while Trump is likely to maintain firm US export controls despite Xi’s objections.

But talks set for Sept 24 could nonetheless yield deals to lower tariffs in specific sectors, cooperate on drug trafficking and expand military-to-military dialogue.

Trump is expected to seek the release of some Americans and others detained in China, according to the people.

The two countries could also agree to talk more on AI, where they are in fierce competition but mindful of growing dangers.

The meeting comes at a difficult moment for Trump, who faces falling approval numbers as public discontent with his war on Iran grows. Xi, while also facing challenges at home, arrives in a seemingly stronger position, with his country’s trade engine roaring.

The leaders themselves may not feel they need to compromise, analysts say.

“The president very much believes that, over time, the US economy is going to grow, the US will get stronger,” said Edgard Kagan, a former White House official now with Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies. “I think when Xi Jinping sits down with Donald Trump, he very much believes the US is in hurtling decline, and that time is on China’s side.”

A state dinner on Sept 24 is expected to bring together chiefs of companies important in both markets like Apple’s Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and OpenAI’s Sam Altman.

As in their prior two meetings since 2025, the leaders are planning a highly scripted public spectacle. Instead of a joint news conference or statement at the end, the countries are expected to issue duelling announcements highlighting what each side hopes to convey to a domestic audience.

For Trump, the trip caps a week of diplomacy that began with a two-day stay in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

Nearly seven months of war with Iran have spiked energy prices in the US, and the president’s Republican Party faces tough prospects in November’s congressional elections.

Xi has overseen a surge in China’s foreign trade but faces weak household spending and a property market downturn.

Sweeping corruption ​and discipline crackdowns in the military have helped cement Xi’s power but also raised questions about the People’s Liberation Army’s readiness.

Members of a US military honour guard roll up a Chinese flag after rehearsing for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit.

Another meeting between Trump and Xi is seen as likely in 2026, potentially on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China in November or the Group of 20 meetings in the US in December.

After imposing triple-digit tariffs on Chinese imports in 2025, Trump has relaxed policy and rhetoric towards China. One recent exception was a prime-time address in July when Trump renewed accusations, which China denies, that Beijing meddles in US elections.

Iran is likely to feature in the discussions. Beijing has maintained close ties with Tehran, but it is unclear whether it will help Trump break a stalemate in the conflict.

Washington thinks Beijing could use its influence over Tehran, but Trump has said he sees no need to seek China’s help.

Beijing, the world’s biggest ​oil importer, helped stabilise crude prices after the war started by cutting demand and releasing strategic stockpiles.

After promising to unleash “economic D-Day” on countries doing business with Iran, the Trump administration withheld secondary sanctions on major banks in China, Tehran’s largest trading partner.

Xi is also expected to push Trump to decrease arms sales to Taiwan after doing so at the last meeting in Beijing.

In December, the Trump administration approved an US$11 billion (S$14 billion) arms sale to Taiwan, the largest ever. But a second package, worth some US$14 billion, has been on hold for months. Trump has described the arms sales as a “very good negotiating chip”. REUTERS