The Chinese government has officially announced President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States.
On September 21, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that President Xi will visit the U.S. from September 23 to 25. This visit is a reciprocal gesture following President Donald Trump's state visit to China in May.
As a result, a summit between President Trump and President Xi, scheduled for September 24, is expected to proceed as planned. Trump had previously indicated that he would meet with Xi at the White House on that date.
There had been speculation about the summit's status following reports of Xi's health concerns after last week's BRICS summit. However, the meeting appears to be on track after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Vessen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met in New York the day before to coordinate key agenda items, leading to the official announcement from the Chinese government.
According to Chinese media, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang stated at a regular press briefing that "President Xi is expected to exchange in-depth views with President Trump on major issues related to U.S.-China relations and global peace development during this visit," adding that "the mutual visits by the two leaders over the past six months will mark a historic milestone."
Discussion on Extension of Tariff Suspension Expected
The two leaders are anticipated to discuss global issues such as the wars in Iran and Ukraine, along with the suspension of the tariff war agreed upon last year. Following the start of the second term of the Trump administration, the two countries engaged in a tariff conflict, but they agreed to suspend mutual tariffs and retaliatory tariffs, as well as China's export controls on rare earths to the U.S., for one year starting November 10 after the summit in Busan last October. Reuters noted that "investors and analysts are closely watching whether the tariff truce will be extended."
In response to a question from a New York Times reporter regarding China's incomplete implementation of the agreement to resume rare earth supplies to the U.S., Geng suggested that "specific questions should be directed to the relevant Chinese departments." He emphasized that "China continues to work towards stabilizing and securing global supply chains" and that both countries should cooperate to implement the important common understandings agreed upon by their leaders to ensure stable development of economic and trade relations.
Geng also avoided answering whether the suspension of rare earth export controls would be extended beyond November 10, stating, "Specific questions should be directed to the relevant Chinese departments." The Financial Times reported that China's rare earth magnet exports to the U.S. fell by 20% last month, raising expectations that rare earth issues will be a key agenda item at the U.S.-China summit.
Additionally, when asked if the summit would address China's export controls on rare earths to Japan, Geng stated that China prohibits the export of dual-use items that could be used for military purposes, such as Japan's "re-militarization," and reaffirmed that China's stance on key minerals remains unchanged.
Meanwhile, President Trump and President Xi are expected to meet not only at this summit but also at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen in November and the G20 summit in the U.S. in December, with three more meetings anticipated before the end of the year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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