US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington on Wednesday for a three-day state visit focused on trade, artificial intelligence and critical minerals, as well as the war with Iran.
Mr Trump greeted Mr Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, a rare protocol gesture for an arriving foreign leader. The presidents will hold their main bilateral meeting at the White House on Thursday.
The schedule includes a state dinner at the White House, a military ceremony with flyovers and a visit to the National Archives.
The trip follows Mr Trump’s visit to China in May, when the two leaders held talks that covered tension over Taiwan.
The summit comes at a critical moment for Mr Trump, as he seeks to end the war with Iran and faces a drop in voter approval. The conflict has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and led to a rise in global energy prices.
The war and rising costs of fuel and everyday items in the US are likely to affect the midterm elections in November.
Meanwhile, Washington is hoping China – Iran's biggest oil buyer – could use its leverage to exert pressure on Tehran. So far, the Trump administration has held back on imposing sanctions on Beijing over Chinese dealings with Iran.
Experts say China is more likely to encourage de-escalation and would expect the US to show more restraint.
While Mr Trump has repeatedly railed against China’s dominance in manufacturing and its competition with the US in areas such as technology and electric vehicles, he has also sought to cultivate cordial relations with Mr Xi.
The two leaders are expected to discuss the future of the global AI industry, as the major superpowers compete for technological dominance. Mr Trump highlighted that rivalry in his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
“And now I say, whoever wins SI – super intelligence – wins,” he said, referring to his attempted rebranding of AI. “That’s the group that wins and we’re leading now over China, by a lot, and everyone else.”
The summit will also address critical minerals and rare-earth supplies, which have become a major point of leverage in the US-China relationship.
The US wants China to ease restrictions on rare-earth exports, while Beijing has sought to maintain its lead in the production of materials used in technology and defence.
The Chinese leader is also expected to bring up the issue of Taiwan. While the Trump administration has maintained the long-time US policy of providing defensive support to the island, China continues to oppose it, viewing it as a violation of its sovereignty.
