Xi and Trump meet at White House amid trade and security tensions

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, September 24, as the leaders opened a state visit focused on managing relations between the world’s two largest economies. Xi called for strategic stability and said the countries’ interests were deeply intertwined, while Trump described the two leaders’ relationship as a great friendship. The talks were expected to cover trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and the war in Iran. The supplied accounts did not establish that the leaders reached concrete agreements on those issues. Their meeting followed Trump’s visit to Beijing in May, and came amid a broader effort by both governments to keep communication open while competing over economic and security interests. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the two governments had agreed to extend their tariff truce by two months. The existing truce was reported to expire November 10. That extension was reported as Bessent’s account; the available information did not include confirmation from Beijing or a published bilateral agreement, leaving its formal status unclear.