Xi Jinping is scheduled to travel to Washington for a state visit on September 24, where he will hold talks with Donald Trump at the White House, his first such trip to the United States in over ten years. The visit would mark Xi's first appearance at the White House since a 2015 meeting with then-President Barack Obama.

Plans are in place for Trump to extend a formal reception to Xi upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, September 23, with the president set to meet him in person. The trip takes place as the two nations work to maintain a tentative trade agreement while vying for dominance in technology, mineral resources, and geopolitical standing.

Agenda items for the meeting are anticipated to cover a broad range of topics, among them commerce, import duties, artificial intelligence, rare earth minerals, Taiwan, the conflict involving Iran, Beijing's financial relationships with Tehran, and the trafficking of fentanyl-related chemical compounds.

Trade policy is expected to dominate the economic agenda. Both nations are working to extend a tariff agreement scheduled to lapse in November. The two nations have held talks on reducing duties across a select group of non-strategic products, alongside discussions covering agricultural and energy trade.

Both nations are weighing duty cuts on roughly $30 billion worth of traded products from each country. Among the topics under negotiation is the levy Beijing imposes on American liquefied natural gas.

Rare earth elements and strategic minerals also feature as a point of negotiation. China holds a commanding position in the worldwide processing of rare-earth materials, providing minerals and magnets that go into smartphones, electric vehicles, advanced electronics, and aerospace and defence systems. China has previously imposed curbs on the export of certain minerals, positioning rare earth materials as a notable point of leverage in ongoing trade negotiations.

The United States has sought more reliable access to goods, while Beijing has pushed for an easing of American technology and trade restrictions. American officials have conveyed that the country does not intend to relinquish its export restrictions as part of any arrangement to secure greater access to Chinese rare-earth materials.

Artificial intelligence has emerged as a prominent domain of rivalry between the United States and China. The two leaders are anticipated to take up topics including artificial intelligence safety, the hazards posed by increasingly capable AI systems, and mechanisms for keeping bilateral communication channels open. The matter is further complicated by US-imposed curbs on Beijing's ability to obtain cutting-edge chip and artificial intelligence technologies.

China has pushed back against American measures to limit the reach of its technology firms, even as Washington has voiced apprehensions over Beijing's potential access to US artificial intelligence tools. The presence of prominent technology executives — including Nvidia's Jensen Huang, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Tesla's Elon Musk, Google's Sundar Pichai, and Apple's Tim Cook — at the state dinner hosted by Trump for Xi underscored the prominent role the technology industry held within that diplomatic gathering.

The question of Taiwan continues to rank among the most contentious points of dispute in relations between the United States and China. Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory, a position that Taipei formally disputes and does not recognise. While Washington maintains no official diplomatic ties with Taipei, legislation obligates it to supply the island with defence equipment.

A proposed weapons deal between the United States and Taiwan, valued at up to $14 billion, has the potential to heighten diplomatic friction ahead of the summit. Beijing has pressed the Trump administration to move beyond its longstanding position of not endorsing Taiwanese independence and to take an active stance against it.

Tensions between the United States and Iran, along with potential disruptions to energy supplies, are anticipated to arise during broader talks between Trump and Xi. Beijing stands as one of Tehran's leading purchasers of petroleum, underpinning a substantial trade relationship between the two nations. The United States has been applying economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran and its trading partners.

The fighting has interrupted petroleum supplies and stoked anxiety over worldwide oil availability, bringing the ties between China and Iran into focus for Washington's attempts to navigate the broader crisis.

The movement of fentanyl precursor chemicals from China to illicit networks also ranks among Washington's stated policy concerns. Washington has repeatedly urged Beijing to take stronger action against companies and networks involved in supplying the chemical precursors used to manufacture fentanyl. The matter has come up in bilateral talks between Washington and Beijing and continues to form part of a wider diplomatic push to enlist Chinese support on drug trafficking controls.

Trade in farm goods, notably those produced in the United States, represents one domain where both parties may be able to reach an agreement. Developments in Boeing aircraft procurement arrangements may also be on the table. Boeing could feature as a notable element in any commercial agreements tied to the summit, given that aircraft orders have been a topic in prior discussions with China.