U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday for a highly anticipated meeting aimed at maintaining dialogue between the world’s two largest economies amid ongoing trade, technological and geopolitical tensions.

During the meeting, Trump highlighted the personal relationship he says he has built with Xi since his first election in 2016, describing the relationship as a “truly great friendship.” After more than three hours of talks, Trump called the meeting “a great meeting” as he accompanied the Chinese leader out of the White House.

Xi, meanwhile, emphasized the importance of keeping competition between Washington and Beijing from escalating into confrontation. Before the meeting, the Chinese president said the two countries should not cross the line into “conflict and confrontation” and called for stronger communication, cooperation and mechanisms to prevent crises. He also argued that competition should remain within reasonable limits and that there is significant room for cooperation between the two countries.

Artificial intelligence was one of the key issues on the agenda. Xi said China and the United States are both major players in AI and have the responsibility to develop and manage the technology for the common good, while ensuring that its development remains under human control. Trump, meanwhile, indicated that what he calls “superintelligence” would be an important subject of discussion, while suggesting that neither country intends to stop the development of AI.

Trade was another central issue. The United States and China agreed to extend their existing trade truce until January 10, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The agreement follows negotiations aimed at reducing tariff tensions and includes issues involving China’s restrictions on exports of rare earths and other critical minerals that are essential to technology and industrial supply chains.

Taiwan was also part of the sensitive agenda. During the meeting, Xi told Trump that he expected Washington to maintain its position against Taiwan independence and to handle the Taiwan issue cautiously, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua, as reported by EFE. Taiwan remains one of the major strategic points of disagreement between Beijing and Washington.

Xi’s September 23–25 visit is his first state visit to Washington since 2015. It is also the third face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House, following their meetings in Busan in October 2025 and Beijing in May 2026.

As part of the official program, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are hosting Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for a state dinner at the White House on Thursday evening. The guest list includes prominent figures from the U.S. technology sector. The visit is scheduled to continue Friday with a joint visit by Trump and Xi to the National Archives.

The summit brings together several interconnected issues —trade, technology, critical minerals, Taiwan and artificial intelligence— while both governments seek to maintain high-level communication and manage differences in a relationship with major implications for the global economy and international affairs.