US-China Relations

Xi was insistent—wanted the trip classified as a state visit

Xi Jinping wanted his visit to Washington to be classified as a state visit—a higher-level diplomatic engagement involving a reception with a guard of honor, a 21-gun salute, and a welcome ceremony on the White House South Lawn. Negotiations dragged on for weeks, according to Wall Street Journal sources, and the Chinese president got his way. His arrival in the US this evening marks the first state visit from China in over a decade.

Donald Trump wants to demonstrate stable relations with China ahead of the US midterm elections, while Xi aims to project the image of a Chinese leader received as an equal to the US, the WSJ reports. However, neither leader is expected to make significant concessions on substantive issues, such as AI.

"Both sides seem to be prioritizing the optics of the meeting," Daniel Kritenbrink—a former senior Asia official at the US State Department now with the consulting firm Asia Group—told the newspaper. 

Analysis: Trump meets Xi in a completely new reality

Xi Jinping arrives in Washington this week. Much has changed in the balance of power between China and the US since his last state visit in 2017, writes Simone McCarthy for CNN.

China has become a heavyweight in tech, AI, and space exploration; Chinese companies are launching large-scale IPOs; and the country has positioned itself as a responsible and stable global leader during the chaotic Trump years.

"There is a consensus in Beijing’s political circles: the days when the US could make unilateral demands of China are over," writes McCarthy.

With the exception of trade, Trump has—during his second term—frustrated domestic hawks who view China as the US's greatest geopolitical adversary, writes Demetri Sevastopulo for the Financial Times.

His decision to welcome Xi Jinping—whom he has repeatedly called "a great leader"—at Joint Base Andrews breaks with 60 years of US precedent. It is yet another sign of Trump's "enormous respect for the leader of the only other superpower," he writes.

Xi is bringing an ace up his sleeve to the US: rare earth metals, an area where China’s dominance remains a major vulnerability for Washington, writes Christina Lu for Foreign Policy.

"Trump still seems to have little recourse when China plays that card."