Xi Jinping Heads To Washington: What’s On The Agenda?

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit the United States from September 23-25, at the invitation of President Donald Trump, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday, in a summit that comes amid efforts by Beijing and Washington to manage trade and economic differences.

China has not announced a detailed agenda for the state visit. But economic and trade discussions held in New York on Sunday offer an indication of issues that could feature in the talks.

Earlier, Vice Premier He Lifeng, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer discussed implementing earlier economic and trade understandings, promoting bilateral trade and investment, and held a dialogue on artificial intelligence, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce.

The US Trade Representative’s office said that Washington would focus on implementing recent commitments, trade in non-sensitive goods and improving market access for American farmers, manufacturers and workers.

Trade Commitments

Trade is a key part of the relationship following an agreement reached by Trump and Xi in May.

The White House said the two countries agreed to establish a US-China Board of Trade to manage bilateral trade in non-sensitive goods and a US-China Board of Investment for investment-related issues. China also agreed to address US concerns over supply-chain shortages involving rare earths and other critical minerals.

The May package also included Chinese commitments to purchase US agricultural products and Boeing aircraft. The latest talks focused on implementing the understandings reached between the two sides.

Minerals And Chips

Critical minerals are another major economic issue between Beijing and Washington.

In July, the White House said inadequate US supplies of recoverable critical minerals and materials posed increasing risks to national defence and security, citing heavy reliance on foreign sources and the possibility of sustained supply-chain disruptions.

However, in May, China would address US concerns involving rare-earth supplies and restrictions on rare-earth production and processing equipment and technologies, according to a White House statement.

Semiconductors have also become a focus of US trade and security policy. In January, the White House said US domestic production was insufficient to meet demand and that dependence on foreign semiconductor supply chains posed economic and national-security risks.

The Commerce Department subsequently revised its licensing policy to allow case-by-case review of exports of Nvidia H200, AMD MI325X and similar chips to China, subject to security requirements.Russi

Russia And Security

The summit also comes as Washington has expanded economic measures against Russia.

President Trump signed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act into law on Friday. The law authorises and expands sanctions, tariffs and prohibitions on Russia and extends existing sanctions on Iran.

The law imposes sanctions on Russia and penalties on major purchasers of Russian oil and gas, with tariffs of up to 100% on imported goods from countries meeting specified conditions.

Earlier last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also discussed high-level exchanges and wider bilateral relations. Wang called for greater communication, cooperation and management of differences between the two countries.

Xi’s visit will therefore take place with trade commitments being implemented and disputes continuing over critical minerals, semiconductors and broader economic and security issues. The latest preparatory talks suggest that managing the economic relationship will be an immediate focus of the Washington summit.