Trump Says Chinese Leader Xi Will Visit US in September

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14, 2026. Alex Wong/Getty ImagesU.S. President Donald Trump said on July 23 that Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to visit the United States in late September, with artificial intelligence [AI] set to be discussed during their meeting.“President Xi is coming over on Sept. 24,” Trump said during an event at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters in Washington. “We talked about [AI] when I was over in Beijing, and we’ll be talking about it again.”Trump said the United States aims to take the lead in AI development, noting that the technology “is probably the biggest thing anybody has ever seen.”“I’ve always said that America’s goal must be to dominate the future and that includes being the number one superpower in artificial intelligence,” he said. “Whoever wins that race is probably going to win, period.”He added that Xi was impressed by U.S. advances in AI technology.The two leaders last met during Trump’s visit to Beijing in May, during which both agreed that their countries should build a “constructive relationship of strategic stability on the basis of fairness and reciprocity.” Trump formally invited Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, to the White House during the trip.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on July 22 that he discussed Xi’s upcoming visit to the United States with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The two met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Manila, the Philippines, on July 22.“We talked a lot about the visit in September, and that was really the gist of it. It was just to create the groundwork for another positive visit,” he said at a press conference.Rubio acknowledged the “great differences” between Washington and Beijing, and emphasized that it is their jobs to manage those differences to ensure “they never get out of control.”“These are the two most powerful countries in the world, particularly economics,” he said. “We’re, obviously, always going to defend our national interest. And I expect they’ll do the same, as they define it. But I think there are some areas of potential cooperation.”An aerial view of a 49.5 megawatt three-level data center under construction in Vernon, Calif., on July 8, 2026. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty ImagesRelations between Washington and the Chinese communist regime have become increasingly tense amid trade disputes and other issues.Last month, the Pentagon added several Chinese companies—including e-commerce marketplace Alibaba, internet giant Baidu, and electric carmaker BYD—to the list of companies that it believes are supporting the Chinese military.In response, the Chinese Commerce Ministry imposed new restrictions on exports to 10 U.S. rare earth and defense companies, barring entities and individuals in any country or region from supplying dual-use items originating from China to the companies.In a separate notice, the ministry said it had excluded 46 U.S. companies—including Lockheed Martin Corporation and Raytheon Missiles & Defense—from government procurement activities, effectively prohibiting Chinese regime entities from purchasing their goods.