US-China diplomatic tensions and Xi-Trump summit 2026

Hegseth called Confucius Institutes "sleeper organisations" that had operated in disguise after being restricted by Congress.

Hegseth said 80 new propaganda cells across 30 universities had appeared using different names and charters.

The US Department of Defense designated Confucius Institutes as a threat to US national security.

The select committee's October 7 report found that Webull affiliate Webull Technologies Limited previously used Tencent Cloud, a China-based provider, to host certain user data.

Webull shares slid more than 19% after the October 7 report.

Webull stated at the time of the report that U.S. customer data is stored in the U.S. and access to sensitive customer data is controlled by the U.S.

China's foreign ministry said it would safeguard the rights and interests of its companies.

The agency warned that using DeepSeek's AI models could result in sensitive U.S. government data being transferred to China.

The Trump administration banned DeepSeek from civilian U.S. government agencies.

The US government ordered its agencies to stop using AI tools from the Chinese startup DeepSeek on Monday.

The department warned that use of DeepSeek AI tools may result in the transfer of sensitive data to China if used by US government employees or vendors.

The DHS ban requires that DeepSeek products be removed from IT devices.

The bilateral meetings were held on the sidelines of the G20 finance meetings and the IMF-World Bank annual gathering.

Trump and Xi are expected to meet in person for the third time this year at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, in November.

The talks included market access for Mastercard, Visa, and Citigroup.

The U.S. President has held back approval of a new package of arms sales to Taipei worth $14 billion.

DeSombre said both China and the U.S. do not want conflict and are able to deter it.

The U.S. government has often indicated Beijing's directive for the PLA to be ready for military action in Taiwan by 2027, but Beijing has never publicly confirmed the timeline.

Days before the latest air encounter, Chinese coast guard and naval vessels moved to block a Philippine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal.

Manila said a Chinese J-16 fighter repeatedly approached the unarmed Philippine plane and maneuvered in front of and behind it at an unsafe distance.

39 Chinese coast guard and People's Liberation Army Navy ships were observed around Scarborough Shoal during September.

Taiwan's Coast Guard asserted Taiwan's jurisdiction in the area near the Dongsha Islands.

Taiwan's Coast Guard used a water cannon to drive two Chinese fishing boats away from waters near the Dongsha Islands.

Taiwan's Coast Guard cited concerns over unauthorised activity as the reason for the action.

Shipping LNG from Nikiski to South Korea would take roughly seven to nine days, compared with around 20 to 30 days from the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Katayama said POSCO International's agreement is separate from any broader South Korean government investment commitment.

Yoo said the Alaska LNG project's lengthy construction timeline and challenging terrain could push costs higher, while slowing demand could leave buyers locked into take-or-pay contracts lasting 20 years or more.

The jets arrived a week after Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington.

Washington has been unwilling to provide Taiwan with F-22 or F-35 fighters.

Taiwan's Minister of National Defence Wellington Koo said more F-16Vs would be delivered by the end of the year.

Support for China rose from 48 percent in 2020 to 65 percent in 2026.

A majority of respondents in all surveyed countries except Argentina approved of Maduro's capture by US forces.

Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic were the only surveyed countries where respondents viewed US influence more positively than China's.

In last year's speech, Xi said Beijing firmly opposes independence activities.

China's Ministry of Transport projects about 2.13 billion trips over the holiday week.

Macau anticipates more than 5 million trips during the holiday.

A White House fact sheet released after the Trump-Xi summit said China and the US 'fought side by side to win' in the second world war.

Taiwan has been waiting for months for Trump to approve a new arms sales package worth $14bn.

Trump said at a meeting with Xi in Beijing in May that he was keeping the $14bn Taiwan arms sales package in abeyance, describing it as a 'very good negotiating chip.'

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said negotiators agreed to extend a tariff truce to January.

It was not immediately clear when lower tariffs would take effect and by how much the duties would go down.

The U.S. and China said the Board of Trade would consist of officials from both governments and would meet at least once a quarter.

Trump referenced the Flying Tigers, a group of American pilots that fought the Japanese in Myanmar and China in the early 1940s, when welcoming Xi to the White House.

The two countries agreed to establish a working group to discuss agricultural trade, with China's Commerce Ministry specifying sector talks would start before the end of 2026.

A Chinese social media account called "Chairman Rabbit" wrote that the biggest loser of the China-U.S. Summit was the Sanae Takaichi government.

Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond B. King called it a historic moment for the City of Atlanta and the state of Georgia.

The bears will be quarantined for about a month before being publicly displayed.

Zoo Atlanta last had pandas in 2024.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday that China respects Washington's switch in phrasing from artificial intelligence to super intelligence.

Trump said he would rather not integrate AI efforts with China because the US is leading by a lot.

Trump announced on Tuesday that his administration would rename AI as super intelligence, or SI, in official communications.

Trump signed a Greenland security agreement on September 22 that would bar non-NATO states such as China from establishing a military presence there.

Trump hosted a state dinner at the White House on Thursday with 134 guests including prominent technology executives.

Trump and Xi held a three-day state visit in Washington, DC.

Xi and Peng held hands as they walked.

The outing took place at the National Archives Museum at the end of a three-day state visit.

Patti Wood said that the gesture of Xi and Peng holding hands appeared natural.

The U.S. and China agreed to extend their existing trade truce until January 10, a two-month extension.

A federal judge ordered the White House to restore access to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico for up to two weeks.

Xi urged Trump to adhere to the 'correct position' of opposing Taiwanese independence.

China Beige Book surveyed 1,295 Chinese companies between Sept. 1-22.

China's ports saw their busiest week on record in the run-up to the summit.

The effective U.S. tariff rate on Chinese goods is around 23%.

Javier Milei criticized the UN as a 'useless' den of 'fatally arrogant parasites' in a speech.

The CEOs of Anthropic and OpenAI warned that AI could threaten humanity.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas was detained by police.

Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 15 years after being convicted of sexually assaulting former TV production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006.

The US has invited Vladimir Putin to take part in the G20 meeting scheduled to take place in Miami in December.

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr received $4m in book advances over the last year from allies in the Make America Healthy Again movement.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles stated that Australia is working with the U.S. and Lockheed Martin to assist in the investigation of the diverted shipment.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said the U.S. intelligence community warned that the Saudi F-35 sale could put American military technology within reach of the Chinese Communist Party.

Richard Marles said that it was his understanding that no sensitive parts were in the missing shipment.

China registered a $1.2 trillion global trade surplus last year.

The meeting was the first state visit by a Chinese leader to the US in 11 years.

Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese goods, accusing China of facilitating the flow of fentanyl to the US.

Xi Jinping is making his first state visit to the US in more than a decade on Thursday.

The last time Xi was hosted in Washington was by Barack Obama in 2015.

China reciprocated against Trump's trade war with tariffs on US goods approaching 150%.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump are set to welcome Xi and Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan at the White House for an arrival ceremony on the State Floor on Thursday morning.

Trump and Xi are to hold a bilateral meeting after a military review in the Rose Garden.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Xi hosted Trump in China for a historic summit this summer and Trump is reciprocating with a visit this week.

The trip is the first time the Chinese president has visited the White House in more than a decade.

United States President Donald Trump is set to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House in Washington, DC, for an official state visit.

Trade tensions spiked at the beginning of Trump’s second term.

Thursday's summit marks Trump's third meeting with Xi of this term and Xi's first visit to the U.S. since Trump returned to the White House last year.

Mast pointed to the Russia-Iran sanctions bill, named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, as leverage Trump has to press Xi on Iran.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast said Trump's meeting with Xi Jinping presents an opportunity to help lower costs for Americans.

Trump gave Xi a tour of a new helipad he had recently constructed on the White House's South Lawn.

A trade truce between the US and China was extended until January 2027.

Trump said in the Truth Social post that leaving AI as is is also China's position.

China's Commerce Ministry said the two sides held constructive, candid talks and reached multiple points of consensus.

China's Vice Premier He Lifeng met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in New York.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping were scheduled to begin talks in Washington, D.C., as part of a state visit.

The U.S. war against Iran is nearing the 7-month mark.

Jonathan Schanzer said China has provided dual-use chemicals that have helped Iran's missile program.

Jonathan Schanzer said Trump needs to tell Xi Jinping that China's alliance with Iran is dangerous and that Chinese assistance to Iran must stop.

Duties on Chinese exports to the U.S. spiraled to a high of 145%, and 125% for U.S. exports to China during a tit-for-tat tariff war.

Trump postponed a planned $14 billion arms package for Taiwan following his previous summit with Xi in May.

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi signaled last year that any Chinese invasion of Taiwan could trigger the involvement of Japan's Self Defense Forces.

Chinese state media reported Xi told Trump that AI must be kept under human control.

Xi said through a translator that everything during the visit was done to the highest order of perfection.

Trump hosted a state dinner for Xi in the East Room of the White House.

Fox News described the Xi-Trump summit as high-stakes.

Chinese President Xi was set to arrive in Washington, D.C. for a summit with Trump.

Karoline Leavitt said some White House reporters privately apologized for asking unfair questions.

Vice-president JD Vance and Mehmet Oz announced at a joint press conference on Tuesday that the federal government was removing 760,000 enrollees from Affordable Care Act insurance marketplaces.

Bernie Sanders said in an interview with AP that it does not take a genius to say slow it down, and questioned whether we want to develop a super intelligence that could act independently of human control.

Trump signed a Greenland deal shortly after his UN address.

Xi said in an official readout for his arrival that he is confident the visit will produce fruitful results for both sides.

Politburo Standing Committee Member Cai Qi and China's top diplomat Wang Yi accompanied Xi.

Xi and Trump agreed to a one-year trade truce at a meeting in South Korea last October.

Trump agreed to pause a $14 billion package of US arms sales to Taiwan after the Beijing summit in May.

Tech executives including Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman, Tim Cook, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jensen Huang were reportedly attending a state dinner at the White House on Thursday evening.

A temporary trade truce between Washington and Beijing, which included a pause on tariffs and an agreement for Beijing to loosen restrictions on rare earth exports, was set to expire in November.

Trump earlier this month said he might be OK letting Chinese automakers into the US if they produced vehicles domestically.

Global market share for Chinese auto brands jumped nearly 70% from 2020 to 2025, according to GlobalData.

Xi's delegation reportedly could include Wang Chuanfu, founder of BYD, and Robin Zeng, founder of CATL.

Washington continues to restrict China's access to Nvidia's most advanced AI chips.

Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday that the government will rein things in if it has to regarding AI.

Trump previously dismissed warnings that AI poses an existential threat to humanity.

Trump visited China in May for talks with Xi.

Xi's last state visit to the US was in September 2015 during the Obama administration.

Xi is expected to depart the US later on Friday.

Trump said he and Xi had a 'great meeting' after the two leaders met at the White House.

Demonstrators gathered outside the White House to protest against China's treatment of its minority Uyghur Muslim population in Xinjiang province.

On his last visit in 2015, Xi stayed at Blair House.

Beijing denies supporting Iran militarily or providing it with intelligence.

The Iran war has cost the Pentagon more than $38 billion through August 1, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Iran accounts for just 1 percent of China's overall global trade, per Chinese government data.

U.S. business leaders expected to attend the dinner include Jensen Huang, Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai, Elon Musk, Jane Fraser, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, and Michael Dell.

Chinese business representatives under consideration to join the dinner included those from BYD, Xiaomi, CATL, Gotion, Hisense, Wanxiang, Bank of China, and COFCO Group.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Xi's U.S. trip is planned for Wednesday to Friday.

Trump and Xi are expected to consider establishing a broader US-China dialogue on AI, including the proposed notification system.

According to Stanford University's 2026 AI Index Report, US companies invested $285.9bn in AI in 2025, compared with $12.4bn in China.

Trump has said he expects to discuss almost everything with Xi.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit the White House on September 24.

The U.S. military base Camp Lemonnier costs $66 million a year.

A report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies stated that new facilities in Djibouti would likely enable the Chinese military to monitor activities of other militaries operating nearby.

Scott Bessent described his talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York as successful.

Chinese state news agency Xinhua said the two sides had candid, in-depth and constructive exchanges on key economic and trade issues and discussed AI.

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are due to hold a summit in Washington later this week.

Trump said the state dinner will have about 125 people in attendance.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that preliminary talks focused on a possible notification mechanism between the US and China around AI.

A senior US official confirmed that AI and trade were on the agenda for the talks.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting the U.S. for his first state visit since the Obama administration.

Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai, Michael Dell, Jensen Huang, Sam Altman, Jane Fraser, and Tim Cook are among U.S. business executives set to attend Trump's state dinner for Xi.

In May, Xi emphasized to Trump the consequences of mishandling Taiwan.

The Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, was abducted by the Chinese government 31 years ago and his current location is still unknown.

Ten Chinese Catholic bishops are currently in some form of detention in China for refusing to toe the CCP line.

Trump is the first president since John F. Kennedy to confront China.

A Reuters report on Friday, citing people briefed on the process, said the U.S. Treasury Department is drafting rules that would likely allow American pharmaceutical companies to invest in promising new drugs being developed by Chinese firms.

The Hang Seng Biotech Index was up more than 5%.

The proposed U.S. Treasury rules would exclude drugs related to pathogens or biotechnology that could be weaponized.

Trump has repeatedly said whoever wins AI wins.

The U.S. is already restricting exports of the most powerful AI chips to China.

Beijing responded to U.S. punitive measures with export controls on drones and related technologies as well as blacklisting six U.S. companies over their support for measures tied to Xinjiang.

The Trump administration placed Huawei on a US trade blacklist in 2019.

The European Parliament suspended access for Huawei lobbyists after the Belgian investigation.

Huawei has repeatedly denied that its technology is used for spying.

Li Chenggang said the discussions took place in a good atmosphere and that a working group would continue talks on Monday.

No other major agreement was announced from the meeting.

Bessent met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

Gordon Chang said Xi believes China is on the way up and the United States is in terminal decline.

Trump and Xi's last meeting before this summit was in May.

Gordon Chang said China is deliberately killing Americans.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Citigroup chief Jane Fraser are expected at a state dinner during Xi's visit.

Trump and Xi are scheduled to hold a summit in Washington, D.C. on September 24.

The current trade truce includes Chinese commitments on rare-earth exports and U.S. agricultural purchases.

Trump dismissed concerns about AI, calling statements that AI might destroy or harm humanity a hoax.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and xAI CEO Elon Musk backed Dario Amodei's call for a slowdown of AI development.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for a slowdown of AI development.

Taiwan has staged live-fire drills with missiles and attack drones.

Donald Trump is preparing to host China's Xi Jinping in Washington next week.

Taiwan is expected to feature in the Trump-Xi talks.

The six trade associations also represent the nation's roughly 17,000 franchised dealers.

The letter argues that allowing Chinese automakers to manufacture in the U.S. would undermine fair competition and jeopardize progress in preventing Chinese dominance in key industries.

The letter to Trump was dated Thursday.