International

Xi Jinping to Make First US State Visit in More Than a Decade

19 September 2026 20:09 PM

NEWS DESK

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit the United States on a state visit next week, his first such trip in more than a decade. During the visit, Xi is expected to hold talks with US President Donald Trump on key issues including trade, Taiwan, artificial intelligence, rare minerals and the broader US-China relationship.

Trump is expected to welcome Xi when his plane lands at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on Wednesday. US senior officials said the airport reception would be an unusual gesture, as it is rare for a US president to personally greet a foreign leader at an airport.

On Thursday, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will welcome Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at the White House. A formal reception will be held on the White House State Floor, followed by a military parade review by the two leaders on the South Lawn.

Trump and Xi will then hold talks on a range of bilateral and international issues.

On Thursday evening, Trump and Melania will host Xi and Peng at a state dinner in the White House East Room. Both presidents are expected to deliver remarks at the dinner.

Among the guests invited to the state dinner are prominent figures from the technology and business sectors, including Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon; Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX; Google CEO Sundar Pichai; Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell; Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang; OpenAI CEO Sam Altman; Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser; and Apple’s recently departed CEO Tim Cook.

Xi and Peng are scheduled to return to the White House on Friday. After a private tea with Trump and Melania, they are expected to visit the US National Archives, which preserves some of the country’s most important historical documents.

Xi will then depart for Joint Base Andrews.

The September 24 talks are expected to cover trade, tariffs, agricultural products, rare minerals and artificial intelligence technology.

The leaders could also discuss Taiwan and a reported US arms package worth around $14 billion for the island. Iran and its oil exports may also feature in the discussions.

Representatives of major Chinese companies, including BYD, Xiaomi and CATL, may accompany Xi during his US visit.

The visit comes nearly 11 years after Xi’s previous state visit to the United States in 2015 and at a time when Washington and Beijing continue to navigate significant economic, technological and geopolitical differences.

Xi Jinping US visit