US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will host Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan together across two days in Washington next week: a White House welcome, a state dinner at which both presidents speak, a private tea, and a tour of the United States’ founding documents.
At a briefing late Friday, senior US officials described a state visit built around the two couples: a diplomatic double date, with the hard bargaining underneath.
The pageantry will sit beside talks on artificial intelligence, a trade truce that expires in November, rare earths, fentanyl and detained foreigners. Officials also hinted that Chinese investment in the US car market could be discussed, but only if existing US national security rules are met.
“I think the president’s comments speak for themselves,” a senior official said of the US auto market. Trump is “not interested in compromising on our national security,” the official added, “so some of the rules and regulations that present hurdles would still have to be met for some of these types of investments to occur”.