Trump and Xi Meet Ahead of State Dinner With Top A.I. Leaders

Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump met at the White House on September 24, 2026, in advance of a state dinner where top artificial intelligence leaders were set to attend. The meeting, which lasted several hours, took place following remarks from both leaders in the White House grand foyer. Trump described their meeting as "great" and noted Xi's interest in "good granite."

During their discussions, Xi emphasized the importance of keeping artificial intelligence under human control. The state dinner, scheduled for Thursday evening, would host Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Google's Sundar Pichai, OpenAI's Sam Altman, and Tesla's Elon Musk. Xi raised the issue of Iran, expressing hope for resumed negotiations between Iran and the U.S., and supported China's commitment to the 14-point memorandum of understanding with Iran.

On Taiwan, Xi called for the U.S. to maintain its stance against Taiwan independence, a stance it has previously upheld. Earlier in the day, Xi urged increased cooperation between the two nations, proposing more direct flights and a cultural exchange program for 100,000 American students. He also announced that two pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, would be sent to Zoo Atlanta.

This marks the first second formal state visit to the U.S. by a Chinese leader, following Xi's visit under President Obama in 2015. Trump and Xi first met in 2017, with their last meeting occurring in May during a state visit to Beijing. They had previously announced the formation of a Board of Trade to lower tariffs on non-security-risk products in June.