President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set to meet in about a week. But key plans — like who sits where, and which Chinese business leaders show up — are still not locked in, according to NPR's sources inside both governments.
Quick Take
- The summit is roughly seven days out, but briefing materials and seating plans are still unfinished.
- China wants over half the roughly 100 state dinner seats, hoping to bring CEOs — the White House is pushing back.
- Deep trade fights over rare earth minerals, computer chips, and Boeing planes remain unresolved.
- Both sides publicly say they want good relations, but each accuses the other of breaking promises behind the scenes.
- A rare earths and chip export truce expires November 10 — right after this summit.
The Planning Is Behind Schedule
Ten current and former U.S. officials told NPR that talks between U.S. agencies on what Trump will say to Xi are not done yet. That's late compared to past state visits of this size.
China has also not picked which tech executives will travel with Xi, partly because it doesn't know how many dinner seats it will get.
Why China Watches the Small Stuff So Closely
Beijing treats things like seating charts and speaking time as signals of respect, not just logistics.
"Every meal, every moment they sit down and are photographed... all of these things are something that Beijing will pay attention to," says Julian Gewirtz, a scholar at Columbia University.
The U.S. is applying a "perfect reciprocity" rule — Xi gets nothing more than what Trump got in Beijing in May. That's why Xi dropped plans to speak at a U.S. university; Trump didn't get a campus speech in China.
The Trade Fights Underneath the Smiles
Both countries accuse each other of quietly squeezing supply chains while talking peace in public.
| Issue | The Problem |
|---|---|
| Rare earths | China still bans exports to Japan; U.S. firms report missing licenses |
| Computer chips | U.S. delayed export controls one year, tied to China's rare earth moves |
| Boeing jets | China's 200-plane pledge is stuck over U.S. limits on spare parts |
| Tech imports | China is angry over new U.S. bans on Chinese drones and routers |
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned in July that the U.S. would "push back" if China keeps hurting American businesses quietly.
What's Next
Despite the friction, Chinese officials say they're optimistic and hope Trump will visit a trade summit in Shenzhen this November. The real test comes fast: the rare earths and chip truce both expire November 10, just weeks after this meeting ends.
Source: NPR
