Trump gave Xi Jinping a rare tarmac welcome Wednesday before Thursday’s White House talks. The countries face a Nov. 10 deadline to extend their tariff truce, amid disputes over AI chips and Taiwan; experts expect few major gains.
The Busan truce lowered tariffs on both sides and paused restrictions on Chinese rare-earth exports. China also pledged to buy large quantities of U.S. soybeans but has not kept that commitment. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Beijing has proposed a broader trade deal, while U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said a U.S.-China “Board of Trade” would be announced to identify a limited group of goods to protect from disputes.
A White House official said AI and the tariff truce are on the agenda, but Trump’s position on a U.S. proposal for alerts about AI incidents affecting national security is unclear. Nvidia cannot sell its most advanced chips in China, though Trump allows approved customers to buy H200s; Lewis said China opposes U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. Trump has not said whether he will press Xi over alleged Chinese links to Iran; he dismissed a report that Chinese entities supplied Iran satellite imagery before an Iranian strike killed three U.S. troops and wounded four in Jordan.
