Xi Jinping at White House: Full Trump-Xi schedule, gift exchange, and state dinner - What's planned?

Xi will be accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, with the White House preparing a formal welcome featuring a military ceremony, gift exchange, bilateral meetings and a state dinner.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to make a high-profile visit to the White House on Thursday (September 24), where he will hold talks with US President Donald Trump in what Trump has described as a “big day” for the two countries.

Xi will be accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, with the White House preparing a formal welcome featuring a military ceremony, gift exchange, bilateral meetings and a state dinner.

The visit is expected to focus on several major areas of US-China relations, including artificial intelligence, trade and tariffs, Taiwan and wider geopolitical issues.

Quick answers to key questions

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QUESTIONS

Xi Jinping's visit includes a welcome ceremony at 10 AM, a gift exchange, a military drill, a bilateral meeting focused on key issues, and a state dinner later in the evening.

Artificial intelligence is a major area of strategic competition between the US and China, with both nations concerned about maintaining technological superiority.

The military drill will feature a 'silent drill platoon' performing precision drills as part of the ceremonial welcome for Xi Jinping.

The key issues include trade and tariffs, artificial intelligence, Taiwan, and geopolitical situations such as the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

Yes, the guest list for the state dinner is expected to include prominent tech leaders such as Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, and Elon Musk.

Here is the planned schedule for Xi’s historic White House visit.

10 AM US time: Trump to welcome Xi at White House

Trump and first lady Melania Trump are scheduled to greet Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan at the White House.

The welcome will mark the formal beginning of Xi’s visit and is expected to be followed by an elaborate official arrival ceremony.

Trump and Melania will participate in a formal arrival ceremony for the Chinese president and his wife.

The ceremony is part of the White House's protocol for a state visit and will include military honours for the visiting Chinese leader.

Gift exchange

Trump and Melania are scheduled to take part in an official gift exchange with Xi and Peng.

The exchange will form part of the ceremonial programme accompanying Xi’s visit to Washington.

Military drill

Trump and Melania will observe a “silent drill platoon” performance.

The event involves an infantry rifle unit performing highly choreographed precision drills as part of the ceremonial welcome for the Chinese president.

Trump and Melania will participate in a formal inspection of troops.

The ceremony is expected to provide another prominent visual element of Xi’s state visit before the two presidents move into their substantive diplomatic discussions.

Bilateral meeting

Trump and Xi are scheduled to begin a bilateral meeting.

This will provide the two leaders with an opportunity to discuss the most sensitive issues directly, before a larger meeting involving members of their respective delegations.

AI is expected to be an important topic, with Trump referring to the technology as “SI”, or “super intelligence”, as he promotes his preferred terminology.

The discussions are also expected to cover the broader US-China relationship, including trade, tariffs, technology and Taiwan. The two sides are also dealing with wider geopolitical issues, including the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

Trade remains a key issue after Washington and Beijing agreed to extend their fragile trade truce by two months.

State dinner

Trump will host Xi at a state dinner later in the evening, marking the ceremonial conclusion of the Chinese president’s White House visit.

The dinner is expected to bring together senior US and Chinese officials as well as prominent figures from tech and business sectors.

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