Trump Hosts Xi Jinping At White House As US And China Extend Trade Truce To January

US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday for a high-stakes summit covering trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and West Asia, as the world's two largest economies looked to keep their fragile truce intact.

A Rare Personal Welcome

Trump personally met Xi's plane when it touched down at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland a day earlier, marking the first time in 11 years that a sitting US president has greeted a foreign leader at the base in person. The gesture set the tone for what officials on both sides have described as an attempt to stabilise ties after months of tension over tariffs, technology exports and military posturing in the Indo-Pacific.

Xi's three-day state visit includes bilateral talks in the Oval Office and Cabinet Room on Thursday, followed by a state dinner. The two leaders were joined by senior officials from both governments, with discussions centred on global economic stability, security in the Taiwan Strait and energy corridors linking the two economies.

Trade Truce Pushed To January

The most concrete outcome to emerge from the talks so far is an extension of the bilateral tariff truce, which had been due to expire in November. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the truce would now run through January 10, saying the extra weeks would give both sides more time to work on the economic front.

The original truce had lowered tariffs levied by both countries and paused Chinese restrictions on rare earth mineral exports, which are critical for electronics, defence and clean energy manufacturing worldwide. In return, China had committed to resuming large purchases of American soybeans, a pledge officials say it has only partially honoured.

Taiwan Remains The Flashpoint

Taiwan continues to be the most sensitive item on the agenda. China's ambassador to Washington reiterated that the self-governed island remains one of Beijing's red lines in any engagement with the US. A senior US administration official said Trump would decide on a new arms package for Taiwan in a fairly short time, a signal unlikely to sit well with Beijing regardless of how the broader summit concludes.

Analysts tracking the meeting say neither leader is expected to walk away with sweeping new agreements. The personal rapport between the two men, combined with each side's narrower near-term goals, points instead to a cautious, incremental summit rather than a dramatic reset in the relationship.

Press Access Dispute Overshadows Talks

The visit was also marked by a press freedom controversy. Journalists from CNN, MSNBC and Politico were initially denied entry to cover the summit after Trump barred the three outlets last week, before a court order forced the administration to restore their credentials. The reporters were let back into the complex around noon on Thursday, hours after the ruling.

For India and other economies watching from the sidelines, the extended truce offers some short-term relief from the risk of a renewed tariff shock rattling global supply chains that are already on edge over rising US bond yields. But with Taiwan, AI competition and rare earth supplies still unresolved, the underlying rivalry between Washington and Beijing shows little sign of easing.

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