Trump-Xi summit: Here’s what’s on the agenda, and why it matters

China’s leader Xi Jinping is expected to hold highly anticipated talks with United States President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday, as both sides seek to ease trade tensions and discuss increasingly capable artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

On Wednesday evening, Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, with a rare red carpet welcome. No US president had previously welcomed a visiting guest personally at the base in six decades.

Earlier in the day, China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported that Xi and Peng were being accompanied by the president’s closest aide and adviser, Cai Qi, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The White House said the talks scheduled for Thursday would mark “a significant milestone in the relationship between the two countries”.

But the state visit – Xi’s first to the US in more than a decade – is likely to touch on multiple points of tension, including the US-Israel war on Iran, the fallout from Trump’s tariffs and the threat of war over the island of Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.

Trump met Xi on his arrival at Joint Base Andrews. But the main event is on Thursday morning, when Xi will receive a ceremonial welcome at the White House, accompanied by a military flyover and nearly 500 military personnel.

After the two leaders hold talks during the day, Trump will host a state dinner for Xi at the White House. This event is expected to include chiefs of companies important in both markets, such as Apple’s Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and OpenAI’s Sam Altman.

The visit will wrap up on Friday morning when the two presidential couples will have tea at the White House and then visit the National Archives to round off the trip.