Chinese President Xi Jinping called for competition with the United States to remain healthy and bounded as he met President Donald Trump at the White House on 24 September 2026, seeking to place the two powers’ rivalry within a broader framework of cooperation.
Trump and Xi vowed cooperation amid what they described as “healthy competition” during a state visit that brought Xi back to the White House for the first time in more than a decade. The meeting was set against continuing tensions over trade, Taiwan and technological competition, while both sides signalled an interest in sustained high-level engagement.
Xi said: “We do not need to avoid mentioning competition, but our competition should be a healthy one and should be kept within bounds. It should be a race of catching up with one another, not a wrestle in which one either wins or loses”.
The leaders were expected to discuss artificial intelligence safety, Taiwan, trade, the Iran war and critical minerals in their bilateral meeting. Discussions were also planned on trade tensions and artificial intelligence risks. No specific outcomes or commitments from those talks were detailed in the information available.
Artificial intelligence was a central part of Xi’s public case for cooperation. He said: “Both China and the United States are leading nations in artificial intelligence. We have both the capability and responsibility to develop and manage AI for good, and ensure that the development of AI is always under human control and serves the well-being of the people”.
The White House meeting followed Trump’s visit to China in May 2026, when he and Xi agreed to work towards a “constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability”. The two sides also agreed on Wednesday to extend by two months a one-year trade truce that had been due to expire November 10.
Trump presented the visit as an extension of a personal relationship formed during his earlier time in office. He said: “From the time of my first election in 2016, President Xi and I have forged a friendship, a truly great friendship, actually, built on mutual respect and the vital interests of our people”.
He added: “Melania and I are honored to host you in Washington as President Xi becomes the first ever Chinese leader to make a second formal state visit to America”. Xi last made a White House state visit in 2015, during the Obama administration.
The public arrival ceremony included a military review, a B-2 bomber flyover and a performance by the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon. A state dinner with American business leaders was also planned. The scheduled guests included Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Michael Dell, Jensen Huang, Sam Altman, Jane Fraser and Tim Cook.
At the state dinner, Xi called for a new chapter in China-US relations. He said his discussions with Trump had involved “sincere and in-depth exchanges” and had produced common understanding on a number of issues.
Xi stated: “China and the United States must act as responsible major countries, meet the expectations of our peoples, keep pace with the trend of our times, and explore a new approach for major countries to get along with each other”.
He also argued that the Thucydides Trap, a concept associated with conflict between an established power and a rising one, could be overcome. “We can certainly find the right path for our two great countries to get along on this planet we both call home,” Xi said.
“Working together, we can lengthen the list of cooperation and shorten the list of issues,” he said. Xi also announced: “In a few days, two pandas, Ping-Ping and Fu Shuang, will come to their new home in Zoo Atlanta, and meet with the American people”.
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