Trump-Xi summit live: Xi departs Washington after three-day state visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington has been marked by grand ceremonies and little tangible progress on key issues, according to wire material. Military parades and honor guards welcomed Trump and Xi, who utilized the occasion to emphasize warm words and diplomatic niceties. Xi announced the gift of Chinese pandas and a new student exchange program, while Trump outlined topics such as security, technology, and superintelligence for their meetings.

However, the future of progress appears uncertain, with significant obstacles hindering any substantive agreement between the two nations. Topics like the US war with Iran, the Ukraine war, and regulating AI are expected to remain challenging. China's failure to follow through on promises to buy more American agricultural products and to sell more rare earth minerals is also casting doubt on the outlook.

A proposed sale of American weapons to Taiwan remains on hold. On the AI front, the US and China have differing goals, with the US focusing on existential risk and the US wanting to slow down AI development, while China aims to accelerate the technology and apply it to the real economy. Despite the pomp and pageantry, it seems that more of the same may be in store for Xi's China visit, with additional face-to-face time between the leaders ahead of his departure on Friday afternoon.