Xi Jinping has arrived in the United States for his first state visit in more than a decade, meeting President Donald Trump at a moment when the balance of power between the world's two largest economies has shifted markedly since the Chinese leader was last hosted in Washington.
The summit is expected to cover artificial intelligence, trade ties, Taiwan and the climate crisis, though the two sides are not aligned on which subjects will receive serious attention. The meeting carries weight well beyond the bilateral relationship, given the scale of the US and Chinese economies and their roles in global supply chains, security alliances and the development of AI.
When Xi was last received in Washington in 2015 by then-president Barack Obama, the agenda included cybercrime, technology, the climate crisis and human rights. That visit was accompanied by a state dinner at which the singer Ne-Yo performed, and Peng Liyuan, Xi's wife, was reported to have sung along.
The contrast with the present meeting is stark. Trump has spent his time in office overhauling the established international order and recasting the US-China relationship, while China now occupies a considerably stronger position than it did ten years ago. That shift in relative strength shapes both the substance of the talks and the expectations surrounding them.
Artificial intelligence is expected to loom large over the discussions. Both Washington and Beijing have treated AI as a strategic priority, and the technology now sits at the intersection of commercial competition, military capability and questions of safety and governance. The two leaders could address tech safety issues, though the scope of any agreement remains unclear.
Trade is the other central pillar of the summit. US-China commercial ties have been reshaped by tariffs, export controls and efforts on both sides to reduce dependence on the other's technology and manufacturing. The meeting offers an opportunity to test whether either government is prepared to adjust its position, but it also exposes how deeply the two economies remain intertwined despite years of friction.
Taiwan is likely to feature in the talks, given its central place in US-China tensions and its importance to regional security. The island remains one of the most sensitive points in the relationship, and any signal from the summit on how both sides intend to manage the issue will be watched closely by governments across Asia and beyond.
Climate change, by contrast, may be skipped over. The issue was prominent during Xi's 2015 visit, but it has since been downgraded in the US-China dialogue, reflecting a broader divergence in priorities between the two administrations. That omission would itself be significant, given the role both countries play in global emissions.
The summit brings together two leaders whose approaches to the international system differ sharply. Trump has recalibrated alliances and trade arrangements, while Xi presides over a China whose economic and technological weight has grown substantially over the past decade. The meeting is therefore less a reset than a test of how the two powers intend to manage competition across technology, commerce and security.
For observers in Europe, Asia and the wider world, the outcomes will matter beyond the bilateral relationship. Decisions taken in Washington and Beijing on AI, trade and Taiwan shape markets, supply chains and strategic calculations far from either capital. The summit's agenda, and what is left off it, will be read as a signal of where the relationship is heading.