Xi visit to Washington faces doubt

President Donald Trump is expected to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington later this month, but the planned visit is taking shape against a fresh public display of mistrust. U.S. and Chinese officials are still in contact over a leaders’ meeting in September, yet Beijing has not formally confirmed the trip. A breakdown at this week’s G20 finance ministers’ gathering in North Carolina added to the strain, after the United States said China blocked consensus language on trade distortions and export restrictions. The episode has reinforced low expectations for any broad agreement when the two leaders next meet. ### Why is Xi’s Washington trip still in doubt? Aug. 27 brought one of the clearest recent signals from Beijing that the summit was still unsettled. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. ambassador to China David Perdue that both sides should “remove interference and overcome obstacles to high-level exchanges,” according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV as cited by the Associated Press. (cnbc.com) Sept. 24 is the date Trump invited Xi to visit the United States, according to the Associated Press, but China has not confirmed that schedule. China’s foreign ministry said on Aug. 27 only that the two sides were maintaining communication about a leaders’ meeting “within the year.” (usnews.com) Sept. 2 added another sign of uncertainty. CNBC reported that Xi’s trip was slated for Sept. 24 and that the White House was planning a formal state dinner, citing people familiar with the matter, while also noting that Beijing had not officially confirmed the visit. ### What happened at the G20 finance meeting in North Carolina? Sept. 1 ended without a joint G20 finance communique after China objected to language backed by the other members, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. (usnews.com) Bessent said China was the only member to dissent from wording aimed at “non-market based economies pushing out a never-ending stream of cheap exports.” (cnbc.com) The Treasury Department’s statement said China objected to a paragraph calling on countries to eliminate “non-market policies and practices that exacerbate imbalances,” including distortions tied to persistent external surpluses and export-led growth. Treasury also said China opposed language on shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and on International Monetary Fund surveillance of global imbalances. (cnbc.com) The Chosun Ilbo report said 19 countries, including the United States, sought to include criticism of China’s state-led industrial policies and that Beijing rejected the wording. Bessent later said it was “clear that China, which holds the world’s largest and unsustainable current account surplus, opposed the statement.” ### How does Iran add to the pressure on the summit? (cnbc.com) Sept. 2 reporting by CNBC said the summit comes after Bessent unveiled a plan to target Iran’s “enablers” with secondary sanctions. Bessent did not name China directly, but CNBC noted that China is Tehran’s top trading partner and biggest oil buyer. At the G20 press conference, Bessent said it was “incumbent upon China” to work toward a solution on Iran. (chosun.com) Treasury said China had also objected to G20 language expressing concern about shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has effectively blocked a key oil route during its war with the United States, according to CNBC. (cnbc.com) ### What are officials and analysts expecting from a Trump-Xi meeting? May 2026 produced only limited results when Trump met Xi in Beijing, according to CNBC, which said the leaders left that summit with few concrete business deals or breakthroughs on Iran and Taiwan. That recent record is one reason expectations for Washington are restrained. (cnbc.com) Craig Singleton of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told CNBC the coming meeting looked like “a low-expectations summit focused largely on managing the stalemate rather than resolving it.” He said one possible deliverable would be an agreement for further senior-level meetings after the summit. Aug. 31 reporting by CNBC said Xi was expected to travel to the United States in late September after stops in Kyrgyzstan, Egypt and possibly India, with AI security emerging as one topic for discussion. (cnbc.com) That travel schedule, and the Sept. 24 invitation cited by the Associated Press, leaves the next public milestone Beijing’s decision on whether to formally confirm Xi’s Washington visit. (cnbc.com)