‘Competition Between US, China Should Be A Healthy One’: Trump Tells Xi

Last Updated:September 24, 2026, 9:11 PM IST

US President Trump and Chinese President Jinping held talks at the White House, discussing trade, Taiwan, and AI, as they extended a trade truce.

President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping participate in an arrival ceremony in the Grand Foyer of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping opened formal talks at the White House on Thursday, with Trump describing a “truly great friendship” between the two leaders as they prepared to tackle a list of contentious issues spanning trade, Taiwan and artificial intelligence.

“From the time of my first election in 2016, President Xi and I have forged a friendship, a truly great friendshipactually, built on mutual respect and the vital interests of our people,” Trump said in opening remarks before aides from both delegations.

Xi struck a more measured tone. “It should be a race of catching up with one another, not a wrestle in which one either wins or loses,” he said, adding that competition between the two countries “should be a healthy one and should be kept within bounds.”

The two sides entered the talks having already reached a partial agreement. On Wednesday, negotiators extended by two months a one-year trade truce that had been due to expire on 10 November. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the extension on Fox News, saying Trump and Xi could still reach a broader deal by January or opt to extend the truce again.

The stopgap fell short of what either side had floated in recent weeks. Chinese officials had pushed for an extension running to the end of Trump’s term in January 2029, while U.S. officials had proposed a three to six month window, citing Beijing’s slow progress on past commitments covering rare earth exports and purchases of American soybeans and aircraft.

Tariffs have swung sharply over the past year. Baseline U.S. duties on Chinese goods peaked at 145 per cent during last year’s trade dispute, matched by Chinese retaliatory tariffs of 125 per cent. After Trump and Xi met in South Korea, the average U.S. rate fell to roughly 47 per cent and China’s to the mid-30s, though a February Supreme Court ruling striking down several of Trump’s tariffs introduced fresh variation into the U.S. figures.

Artificial intelligence featured heavily in both leaders’ remarks. Trump wrote on social media that AI, which he has taken to calling “superintelligence,” would be central to the talks and said he wanted development to continue “exactly where it is,” adding that this reflected China’s position too. Xi said the two countries had a shared duty to keep AI “under human control” and serving “the well being of the people.” Finance ministers from both nations met earlier in the week and floated a new notification mechanism for AI-related incidents.

Taiwan remains the most sensitive item on the table. Beijing considers the island Chinese territory and has pressed Washington to permanently end arms sales to it. Following a May meeting with Xi in Beijing, Trump said he was holding back final approval of a $14 billion arms package and called the sales a “very good negotiating chip.” Iran has proven harder ground: Trump has argued China’s dependence on Gulf oil gives it leverage to push Tehran toward a settlement, but Beijing has condemned the seven-month conflict and criticised the U.S. operation that removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power.

Trump has pushed for Xi to attend the G20 summit in Doral, Florida, in December, while Xi wants Trump at November’s APEC summit in Shenzhen. The visit culminates in a state dinner at the White House on Thursday evening, attended by tech executives including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg.

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What was the outcome of the trade truce extension talks between Trump and Xi?

Negotiators extended the one-year trade truce by two months, moving the expiration past the original November 10 date. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that both leaders could secure a broader agreement by January or choose to extend the truce further.

What stance did Donald Trump and Xi Jinping take on artificial intelligence during their White House talks?

President Trump stated that he wants the development of artificial intelligence, which he terms “superintelligence,” to continue exactly where it is. Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized a shared responsibility to maintain human control over AI so that it serves the well-being of the public.

How have US and Chinese tariffs fluctuated over the past year?

Baseline U.S. duties on Chinese goods peaked at 145 per cent during last year’s trade dispute, while Chinese retaliatory tariffs reached 125 per cent. Following a meeting in South Korea, the average U.S. rate dropped to roughly 47 per cent and China’s fell to the mid-30s, though a February Supreme Court ruling introduced further variation into the U.S. figures.

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Anoshito Banerjee

Anoshito Banerjee is a digital journalist at CNN-News18, specialising in Indian foreign policy, global diplomacy, South and West Asian geopolitics, and strategic affairs. His reporting spans hard news…Read More

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