{
  "id": 917341,
  "title": "China rattled by Trump White House chaos weeks ahead of Xi visit. It has happened before",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/china-rattled-by-trump-white-house-chaos-weeks-ahead-of-xi-visit-it",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-14T23:30:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
    "slug": "reuters-business-via-scmp",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364025/china-rattled-trump-white-house-chaos-weeks-ahead-xi-visit-it-has-happened"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nSources 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.\n\nChinese 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nWhite 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.",
  "summary": "Just months ago, disorganised planning from Washington in the lead-up to President Donald Trump’s landmark China visit frustrated Chinese officials. Now, Beijing is watching the same story play out on the other side of the world. With less than six weeks until Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned trip to Washington – his first state visit since 2015 – Beijing finds itself increasingly unsettled…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "WSJ Economy",
        "title": "A new report led by White House trade adviser Peter Navarro estimates illegal transshipment has cost the U.S. around $19 billion to $26 billion in annual tariff revenue",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/a-new-report-led-by-white-house-trade-adviser-peter-navarro-estimates",
        "published": "2026-08-14T09:41:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Fortune",
        "title": "‘If your tariff was 0%, there’s no need to commit fraud’: The White House is sounding off on a $112 billion tariff-dodging scheme it made worse",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/if-your-tariff-was-0-theres-no-need-to-commit-fraud-the-white-house",
        "published": "2026-08-14T19:33:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Semafor",
        "title": "White House prepares to host crypto and prediction market execs",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/white-house-prepares-to-host-crypto-and-prediction-market-execs",
        "published": "2026-08-14T20:29:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "China rattled by Trump White House chaos weeks ahead of Xi visit. It has happened before",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/china-rattled-by-trump-white-house-chaos-weeks-ahead-of-xi-visit-it-923122",
        "published": "2026-08-14T23:30:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CoinDesk",
        "title": "Trump expected to attend White House meeting with crypto CEOs, sources say",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/trump-expected-to-attend-white-house-meeting-with-crypto-ceos-sources",
        "published": "2026-08-14T23:41:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Block",
        "title": "Trump, CFTC Chair Selig expected at Wednesday White House meeting with crypto and prediction market executives",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/trump-cftc-chair-selig-expected-at-wednesday-white-house-meeting-with",
        "published": "2026-08-15T15:20:19.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}