Trump rolls out red carpet for Xi as high-stakes summit begins

On Thursday, the two leaders will hold meetings where Trump and Xi are expected to talk about artificial intelligence, rare earths, trade and geopolitics such as Iran and Taiwan.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5683x3788+0+0/resize/5683x3788!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F96%2F3f%2F5b02f6394cefae89a7dc3e7e02fc%2Fgettyimages-2296833411.jpg' alt='(L-R) First lady of China Peng Liyuan, Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Donald Trump, and First Lady Melania Trump walk on the red carpet during an arrival ceremony on September 23, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.'/><p>On Thursday, the two leaders will hold meetings where Trump and Xi are expected to talk about artificial intelligence, rare earths, trade and geopolitics such as Iran and Taiwan.</p><p>(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-144806' />