Politics
The U.S. military honor guard is conducting rehearsals, and a new helipad at the White House is ready. But will Xi Jinping and Donald Trump be able to make any progress at their upcoming meeting?
The U.S. military honor guard is conducting rehearsals, and a new helipad at the White House is ready. But will Xi Jinping and Donald Trump be able to make any progress at their upcoming meeting? According to the French news agency AFP, discussions about the potential risks of artificial intelligence could take place during the Chinese president’s first meeting at the White House, as the two countries compete for dominance in this technology. Trump’s war with Iran is also casting a major shadow over the meeting, as China seeks to circumvent U.S. sanctions imposed on countries maintaining ties with Tehran. However, reports have claimed that Beijing provided Iran with intelligence to facilitate attacks on U.S. troops.
The trade war remains the biggest concern, as the world’s two largest economies continue to seek ways to mitigate the impact of Trump’s global tariffs. The risk of war over Taiwan is also looming large. Behind all these issues is the desire of one power to maintain its dominance and an increasingly powerful rival determined to make the 21st century a “Chinese century.” Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said, “I’ll talk to them about almost everything.”
Experts say the two leaders are more likely to extend a temporary truce than achieve any concrete outcome, as was the case four months ago when Xi hosted Trump in Beijing. Jonathan Xi of the Brookings Institution said, “I don’t think much will come out of this meeting. It will mostly be a repeat of Trump’s visit to Beijing in May, where the main focus was on the relationship between the two leaders.” Given growing global concerns about artificial intelligence, cooperation on regulation or slowing the pace of AI development is likely to be a major topic. However, major agreements are currently “politically unattainable,” said Peking University professor Wang Dong, because both Beijing and Washington fear falling behind in the AI race.
Iran will also be discussed. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng this week for pre-summit talks, including discussions on sanctions against Iran. Trump, however, played down reports that Chinese entities had provided Iran with satellite imagery to facilitate an attack on a U.S. military base. He said Xi had “behaved quite appropriately” and added, “We spy on them too.” Yue Su of the Economist Intelligence Unit said there was room for progress on tariffs, agricultural purchases, and selected export controls.
But, as is often the case, Trump appears more interested in the optics of meeting a powerful foreign leader than in the substance of the discussions. Kurt Campbell, chairman of the Asia Group, said, “This is less a summit and more a spectacle. It has been designed for public display.” Trump had a new granite helicopter landing pad built on the South Lawn of the White House so that it would be ready for Xi’s visit, which will also include a lavish state dinner. Military personnel in ceremonial uniforms have been rehearsing the welcome ceremony in the White House driveway this week. Trump’s only disappointment is that his $400 million ballroom, which is currently under۔
Trump and Xi will meet in November at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Shenzhen, China. The Kremlin has proposed a trilateral meeting involving Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump is also expected to invite Xi to the G20 summit, which will be held in December at the Doral Resort in Miami.
