China rattled by Trump White House chaos weeks ahead of Xi visit. It has happened before

China is increasingly concerned about the chaotic planning within the Trump administration as China's President Xi Jinping prepares for his first state visit to the United States since 2015. The South China Morning Post reports that Chinese officials are facing a disorganized administration with no clear leadership on organizing the summit.

Sources claim that the State Department has been largely absent from the preparations, while the Treasury Department and US Trade Representative have taken the lead in the past. However, the State Department's recent inaction has raised concerns among Chinese officials. A brief improvement in relations was seen during China's foreign vice-minister Ma Zhaoxu's visit, but this momentum has not been sustained.

Chinese officials attribute the logistical issues to internal disagreements within Trump's inner circle about the tone and framing of the visit. The only concrete item on the agenda is a potential $30 billion tariff reduction for Chinese goods. Chinese officials are particularly sensitive to the diplomatic dynamics since protocol, venue, and public messaging will largely be controlled by the White House.

The summit comes at a time of strained ties between the two largest economies, following several rounds of tit-for-tat measures. Last month, the United States added Chinese companies to an entity list under the Uygur Forced Labour Prevention Act and banned the import of certain robotic devices and power inverters. Beijing retaliated by sanctioning U.S. entities and tightening export controls on drones and related technology.

White House advisers like Stephen Miller and Steven Cheung are pushing for Trump to project superiority, while others hope for a more conciliatory approach from the U.S. leader. All sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to their lack of authorization to comment publicly on the matter. Trump had earlier floated September 24 as the date for Xi's visit, though the Chinese leader's trip has been described as one of up to four possible meetings between the two leaders this year.