President Xi leaves for Washington for second summit with Trump within six months

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday left for Washington for a rare second summit with US President Donald Trump in less than six months, with trade, technology, military ties and international conflicts expected to dominate the talks.

Xi is accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the General Office of the Central Committee, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, the foreign ministry said.

Trump had invited Xi and Peng to the White House during his visit to China in May this year.

Trump plans rare airport reception for Xi

Xi and Peng are expected to arrive at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on Wednesday. Trump was reportedly planning to personally receive the Chinese president on the tarmac, marking a rare airport welcome.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has described the second Xi-Trump meeting within six months as a “milestone of historic significance”.

The talks are expected to cover trade tariffs, technology, artificial intelligence, military ties, the Middle East conflicts, the Russia-Ukraine war, the space arms race and US arms sales to Taiwan.

Trade and AI talks ahead of summit

Ahead of Xi's visit, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held talks with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on economic and trade issues, including AI.

Bessent said Washington had proposed a new notification mechanism for AI incidents that could have implications for national security.

The summit comes as tensions remain over US tariffs on countries buying Russian oil and gas. Trump recently signed the 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026', which authorises tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five importers of crude oil and gas from Moscow, including China and India.

China has opposed such measures, saying normal trade between countries should not face interference from third parties.

At the same time, Beijing and Washington are negotiating a reciprocal tariff reduction framework covering products worth USD 30 billion from each side.

Taiwan and Ukraine also on agenda

The Russia-Ukraine war is expected to feature in the talks, with Trump seeking China's help in persuading Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict.

Xi is also expected to raise US arms sales to Taiwan. Washington is considering an USD 11 billion package for Taipei, including HIMARS rocket systems, anti-tank missiles, drones, howitzers, military software and other equipment.

China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has strongly opposed the proposed arms package.

The leaders are also expected to discuss the Iran-US conflict, after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Beijing and held talks with Wang Yi last week.