The ceremony began at Joint Base Andrews, where Trump personally greeted Xi – a courtesy the president has not extended to any other visiting leader – before the two heads of state proceeded to the Oval Office for talks.
The meeting follows a May trip in which Trump visited Beijing and both sides announced a commitment to a “constructive relationship of strategic stability,” a phrase coined by Beijing that the U.S. president accepted to surprise many observers.
Analysts say expectations for the Washington visit are modest; rather than a grand bargain, the summit is viewed as an effort to put a floor under a contentious relationship that has been marked by trade disputes, technology bans and competing visions for regional security.
Trump’s public enthusiasm for a “G2” partnership has raised concerns in the Indo‑Pacific, especially in India, where officials fear a formalized US‑China axis could reshape the strategic balance.
Since the May talks, the two sides have traded accusations, including the Pentagon’s listing of Chinese firms such as Alibaba and BYD for alleged civil‑military fusion and mutual claims of unfair conduct in the artificial‑intelligence race.
Key issues remain unresolved: tariffs, U.S. restrictions on semiconductor exports, Chinese controls on rare‑earth minerals, and Beijing’s demand that Washington halt arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing calls the biggest flashpoint in the bilateral relationship.
In a Foreign Affairs essay ahead of the summit, Da Wei, a senior scholar at Tsinghua University, argued that rapid AI development makes it difficult for either side to eliminate the other’s leverage, underscoring the pragmatic need for a stable relationship.
Da Wei also noted that recent talks in New York between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice‑Premier He Lifeng have set up a dialogue mechanism for AI cooperation, reflecting a growing recognition of shared technological interests.
Li Kai, vice‑president of the China Institutes for Contemporary International Relations, framed the visit as part of a longer‑term Chinese strategy to shift Asian security management to regional actors, arguing that a “grand bargain” could eventually see reduced U.S. involvement in Asia.
The summit’s outcome will likely be measured not by sweeping agreements but by whether both capitals can maintain the floor of cooperation while continuing to manage deep‑seated economic and security frictions.