Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House on September 24 (local time). Just before the meeting the two sides agreed to extend a trade truce due to expire on November 10 by two months to January 10, and the leaders put artificial intelligence at the center of the agenda. Xi also announced two giant pandas for the US and an invitation to 100,000 American youths.
Chinese President Xi Jinping held a summit with US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on September 24 (local time). A state arrival ceremony took place on the South Lawn in the morning, followed by a small-group session and expanded talks, with a state dinner in the East Room in the evening.
광고 문의 · 300×250Trump personally went to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland the previous day to greet Xi and his wife. Taiwan's Central News Agency said it was the first time in 11 years that a US president had met a foreign leader at the airport in person. At the welcome ceremony Trump said the two had built 'a great friendship.'
Two more months of trade truce
The trade deal set the tone. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said after meeting Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on the 23rd that the truce set to expire on November 10 would be extended by two months to January 10 next year. A one-year extension had been floated, but the sides opted to buy time and pursue a larger deal.
In his opening remarks Trump said the two countries had made significant progress on trade and would further discuss security and AI. According to Korea's Kyunghyang Shinmun, Xi said 'the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation' and 'Make America Great Again' can go forward together.
Different pace on regulation, common ground on control
AI was the new agenda item. The Chosun Ilbo reported that Trump said he would impose no further AI regulation, while Xi stressed that AI must remain under human control. According to the United Daily News, Xi said China and the US have both the capability and the responsibility to develop and govern AI well, keeping it under human control so that it benefits humanity.
The two sides reportedly agreed in working-level talks before the summit to set up an AI dialogue mechanism, prioritising channels to prevent miscalculation and accidents, a so-called 'hotline,' rather than slowing the development race. OpenAI's Sam Altman and Nvidia's Jensen Huang were among tech leaders reported to be attending the state dinner, underscoring AI as a pillar of the visit.
Xi also set out people-to-people initiatives. The United Daily News reported that he announced an invitation for 100,000 American young people to visit China and said giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang would arrive at Zoo Atlanta within days to meet the American public. Reports also said the state dinner toast would feature a wine recalling President Nixon's 1972 visit to China.
Little was said publicly about Taiwan. The Liberty Times reported that the White House did not respond after the talks to questions on whether Taiwan was discussed. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a day earlier that arms sales to Taiwan must be weighed against US military needs and defense-industrial capacity.
A third perspective
Views of the same summit differ by region. Chinese media framed the visit as an occasion for 'constructive strategic stability' and ran a series of stories on cultural exchange, sister cities and youth ties. Taiwanese media gamed out two scenarios: whether the truce extension brings a 'peace dividend' to Taiwan's chip industry or whether Taiwan-related issues become bargaining chips. For South Korea, the most practical takeaway is that uncertainty over China-bound export supply chains has been deferred for two more months. Sino Bridge Times records both leaders' statements side by side and will watch whether a new agreement emerges in the extended window.
Xi and his wife are scheduled to have tea with the Trumps on the 25th before concluding their US visit.
