Input Stories

Presidents Trump and Xi will cover a wide array of topics at their meeting in China this week: Iran, Taiwan, nuclear weapons, artificial intelligence and rare earths, according to U.S. officials (Reuters, subscription).

What’s going on: Against the backdrop of a possible extension of a U.S.–China critical minerals deal, on Thursday and Friday “[t]he leaders of ‌the world’s two largest economies will hold their first face-to-face talks in more than six months as they try to stabilize ties strained by trade, the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran and other areas of disagreement.”

• In what will be President Trump’s first China trip since 2017, the two nations “are expected to agree to forums to facilitate mutual trade and investment, while China is expected to announce purchases related to Boeing airplanes, ​American agriculture and energy.”

There’s more: Also potentially on the docket for the two-day meeting is a formal announcement of a Board of Trade and a Board of Investment.

• The former, a concept that came out of March U.S.–China talks, is a framework to expand trade and economic cooperation between the countries, while the latter is said to be for the management of investment disputes (The Wire China).
• However, the boards “may need subsequent work before they can be implemented, one of the officials said,” according to Reuters.

Rare earths: At the meeting, Presidents Trump and Xi could lengthen a trade-standoff truce that allows some rare earth minerals to be exported from China into the U.S.

• After imposing export controls on several rare earth elements in 2025, China suspended the restrictions for some rare earths but left others in effect.

“Thornier issues”: The presidents are also set to discuss Iran, Taiwan, AI and nuclear arms.

• China maintains ties with Iran, and President Trump has reportedly been urging China to press the regime in Tehran to accept a U.S. peace deal.
• “Xi, meanwhile, is frustrated with Washington over Taiwan. The U.S. remains the most important international backer and arms supplier for the democratically governed island, which Beijing claims as its own Chinese territory.”
• In addition, the Trump White House has “expressed increasing concern about advanced artificial intelligence models being developed in China.”
• Last, President Trump has long wanted to discuss nuclear weapons with President Xi, but Beijing “remains reluctant to discuss its arsenal.”