Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit the United States on September 24, 2026, accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, and a large Chinese business delegation, the first such group since 2015 [1, 2, 3]. US President Donald Trump will host a state dinner for Xi during the visit, describing their relationship as good despite competitive trade tensions and calling Xi a "remarkable gentleman" [1, 3]. Trump said, "We will have a state dinner, and we're going to — we do big things with China. Our relationship with China has always been good." [4]
This visit marks the second round of meetings between Trump and Xi in 2026, following Trump's trip to Beijing in May where 18 American business leaders joined him [2, 3]. Xi’s large delegation signals China's intent to support investment and commercial ties amid heightened US scrutiny of Chinese investments [2, 5]. The last time such a business group accompanied Xi to the US was in 2015, when they signed deals worth $38 billion including Boeing aircraft orders [2, 5].
Ahead of the summit, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer expressed optimism about the prospects for US-China relations despite fundamental disagreements. In a September 3 interview, Greer said, "I feel optimistic. The Chinese side very much wants to establish a stable relationship with us. 'Stable' is the word they use, and it's what we want too." [4] However, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized China for having the "world’s largest and unsustainable current account surplus" at the G20 finance meeting earlier in September [4, 5].
US officials, including Bessent and Greer, met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in early September to discuss the expected outcomes of the summit. Vice Premier He indicated that talks would cover eliminating agricultural non-tariff barriers, setting up a China-US trade committee, and potential tariff exemptions on some Chinese products [5, 6].
Experts have low expectations for the summit, viewing it as managing stalemates rather than resolving deep disputes. US political analyst Craig Singleton said, "This is a low-expectation summit, with the focus mainly on managing the stalemate rather than resolving it." [3]
Trump also disclosed that he asked Xi not to involve China in Iran issues, noting a good personal rapport on the topic. "I told President Xi 'please don't get involved' — I have a very good relationship with him — so they actually haven't got involved," Trump said [7].
The summit meeting scheduled for September 24 will bring together top leaders in Washington with a focus on trade and economic relations as well as diplomatic engagement amid ongoing tensions [1, 2].
