Xi Comes to Washington: Expectations for the Trump–Xi Summit | The Heritage Foundation
The Trump–Xi summit in Washington should be judged by implementation of commitments, not by the number of new agreements announced. President Trump should preserve U.S. leverage on Taiwan, technology, and Iran rather than trade strategic advantages for tactical stability. The summit’s success will depend on Chinese actions, not diplomatic optics, rhetoric, or symbolic deliverables. On September 24, 2026, President Donald Trump is scheduled to host Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping for a summit in Washington, DC. This will be the leaders’ second summit of 2026, following their Beijing Summit in May. Key deliverables from May’s summit included the announcements of the concept of “constructive strategic stability,” ostensible alignment on not wanting Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, Chinese purchases of U.S. airline and agricultural products, and the planned U.S.–China Board of Trade and the U.S.–China Board of Investment.1 The White House, “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Secur