Xi Jinping to make first Chinese state visit to US in over a decade

Sep 17, 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in Washington on September 23, 2026, for his first U.S. state visit in over a decade. In an unusual move, President Donald Trump will personally greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews. The high-stakes visit features a lavish White House state dinner attended by prominent tech CEOs, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Sam Altman. Bilateral talks will focus on intense trade disputes, tariff adjustments, rare earth mineral supplies, and the competitive race for artificial intelligence dominance.

Xi Jinping US state visit

▪The state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington will span three days and include an indoor arrival ceremony, a Rose Garden troop review, a state dinner, a private tea, and a tour of the National Archives
▪Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in Washington on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, for his first state visit to the United States since September 2015.

Trump airport greeting protocol

▪Senior U.S. administration officials noted that President Donald Trump greeting a foreign leader at the airport is an unusual departure from the typical protocol of meeting at the White House.
▪U.S. President Donald Trump will personally greet Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews upon his arrival on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.

Tech CEOs dinner invitations

▪Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, and former Apple CEO Tim Cook are on the guest list for the September 24, 2026, White House state dinner honoring Xi Jinping
▪Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are scheduled to attend the White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 24, 2026.

US-China AI competition

▪U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed fears over artificial intelligence as a hoax and urged American firms to advance rapidly, while Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated the U.S. should develop AI as fast as possible.
▪The United States and China are the two dominant powers in the global artificial intelligence race, which is a central point of tension and a key focus of the upcoming bilateral talks.

Bilateral talks agenda

▪Senior US officials said the bilateral talks between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping will cover trade, artificial intelligence, China's rare earth mineral stockpiles, fentanyl, and detained foreign nationals
▪U.S. and Chinese officials may discuss easing tariffs on a narrow band of nonstrategic goods, but the U.S. is unlikely to ease export controls on rare earth minerals.
▪U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York to discuss economic issues and artificial intelligence ahead of Xi Jinping's state visit