Beijing wanted more from Xi’s Washington state visit

Beijing desired more from Xi's Washington state visit in September. The Chinese president enjoyed grand gestures such as 21-gun salutes, a B-2 stealth bomber flyover, and a tour of American democracy's founding documents. US President Donald Trump deemed the summit with Xi a "great meeting," rating it a "12 out of 10." Xi expressed satisfaction, stating that everything was executed with perfection and meticulous attention to detail.

However, according to sources familiar with the situation, Beijing harbored ambitions for a more ambitious program during this, Xi's first state visit to the United States in over a decade. Sources told the South China Morning Post that Beijing urged a more active engagement with the American business community and public, proposed discussions on numerous diplomatic and security matters with Trump, and suggested talks on artificial intelligence between Chinese and American executives.

Yet, none of these proposals were incorporated into the visit, which unfolded as a meticulously orchestrated event hailed by both sides as historic and productive. Chinese officials, in the run-up to the visit, reportedly reached out to embassies of other nations in Washington to compare notes and explore potential activities for Xi's itinerary.

They aimed to ascertain what sort of reception the Trump administration would extend to Xi and what activities could be offered in his schedule. Additionally, Beijing reportedly proposed Xi engaging with US business leaders or addressing students at a prestigious university in Washington or New York. The Trump administration, however, rejected these suggestions, emphasizing the need for reciprocity and mirroring Trump's May trip to Beijing.

During Xi's visit in 2015, he had extensive engagements with American business leaders, visiting Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond and Boeing's factory in Everett, as well as Lincoln High School in Tacoma. In contrast, this time, American business executives including Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Tesla's Elon Musk accompanied Trump to Beijing in May and attended a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People.

American business executives also attended the White House state dinner for Xi, though the specifics of their interactions with Xi remain unclear. Chinese officials grew anxious that the summit's agenda had focused almost exclusively on trade, leaving limited space for other diplomatic and security issues. They put forth a list of over a dozen such issues for Xi to raise with Trump, but the White House rejected these proposals, stating that Trump would only engage on matters involving Iran and planning for upcoming summits.

Both countries, however, agreed to establish an artificial intelligence dialogue to exchange views on the risks and benefits of AI and to set up a communication channel for AI incidents. In the end, both China and the US pledged to support each other in hosting respective summits and address global concerns such as Iran's nuclear ambitions and the issue of tolls on international waterways.