President Donald Trump greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews on the evening of Wednesday, September 23, 2026, marking the Chinese leader's first state visit to the U.S. in more than a decade. The visit, which includes a scheduled state dinner on Thursday, follows a trip by Trump to China in May 2026 where he was not received with a formal arrival greeting by Xi.
White House officials said discussions will focus on trade and technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), U.S. export controls on computing chips, and potential tariff reductions. The leaders are also expected to discuss political prisoners. Kyle Chan, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, noted that China is prioritizing its own AI chip development and is more concerned with cyber risks than the existential threats cited by some U.S. tech leaders.
Separately, a federal district judge in Washington heard arguments Wednesday regarding a lawsuit filed by CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. The news organizations are challenging a White House ban preventing them from accessing the premises. The administration argued the ban is necessary for national security and cited a lack of professionalism, but the judge expressed skepticism toward the government's due process and national security arguments. A ruling has not yet been issued.
The guest list for Thursday's state dinner includes prominent figures such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Michael Dell, Jensen Huang of Nvidia, and Sam Altman of OpenAI. This is the second state dinner of Trump's second term. Republican Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized the visit, stating he would have advised against a lavish welcome for the Chinese leader.