Xi's First US State Visit in a Decade Puts AI at Center of Trump Summit

Xi Jinping arrives in the United States this week for his first state visit in more than a decade — and artificial intelligence will dominate the agenda.

The Chinese president's last official visit to Washington came in 2015, when Barack Obama hosted him. That summit covered cybercrime, technology, the climate crisis and human rights. The star of the evening was R&B singer Ne-Yo, who performed at the state dinner while Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, reportedly sang along.

This week's meeting with Donald Trump will look nothing like it.

Trump has overhauled the world order and recalibrated the US-China relationship since taking office. He now faces a China in a far stronger position than it was ten years ago, a shift that will shape every item on the summit agenda.

What's on the table

Artificial intelligence looms largest over the talks, according to analysis of the summit. Tech safety issues and US-China trade ties are expected to feature prominently in the leaders' discussions.

Taiwan remains the perennial flashpoint in the relationship and will likely come up, though neither side has signaled any movement.

What's likely missing

The climate emergency — a headline issue when Obama and Xi met in 2015 — appears set to be skipped over entirely. The omission marks a sharp departure from a decade ago, when US-China climate cooperation produced one of the defining bilateral agreements of the Obama era.

Human rights, another 2015 agenda item, also shows no sign of making the cut.

Why it matters

The contrast between the two state visits tells the story of a relationship transformed. In 2015, Washington set the terms. In 2026, Trump negotiates with a Chinese leadership that has consolidated its technological and economic power over ten years.

The agenda itself reflects that shift: AI and trade — the battlegrounds of the current rivalry — have displaced climate and cybercrime.

For businesses watching the summit, the outcomes on AI governance and trade terms carry direct consequences for technology supply chains, export controls and market access in both economies.