[VT | September 23, 2026 | Washington D.C.]
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the United States on September 23 for a three-day state visit, with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump traveling to Joint Base Andrews to greet Xi and Peng Liyuan upon their arrival.
The visit moves into its central White House agenda on September 24: a formal state welcome, two rounds of presidential meetings, public remarks before and after the talks, and a state dinner. On September 25, the two presidential couples are scheduled to meet for tea at the White House before traveling together to the National Archives.
The visit is Xi’s first state visit to the United States since 2015 and follows Trump’s visit to China in May, completing reciprocal presidential visits within six months.
The September 24 Schedule
The formal White House program begins at 10:00 a.m., when Trump and Melania Trump are scheduled to greet Xi and Peng at the South Portico.
An arrival ceremony follows at 10:10 a.m., with Trump and Xi scheduled to deliver public remarks at 10:15 a.m.
According to the White House, 479 U.S. military personnel representing all branches of the armed forces are participating in the ceremonial program. A military flyover is scheduled to include a B-2 Spirit bomber accompanied by four F-22 Raptors.
The ceremony follows Xi’s September 23 arrival at Joint Base Andrews, where B-1 Lancer bombers flew overhead as Trump and Melania Trump welcomed Xi and Peng.
After the ceremonial program, Trump and Xi are scheduled to meet in the Oval Office at 11:30 a.m., followed by an expanded bilateral meeting in the Cabinet Room at noon.
Both meetings are closed to the press, according to the White House’s published September 24 schedule.
Trump and Xi are then scheduled to make another set of public remarks in the East Room at 7:55 p.m., before the state dinner begins at 8:10 p.m.
The two public appearances create two points of record around the private talks: remarks immediately before the meetings and the first scheduled public remarks by both leaders after them.
A Different Public-Access Structure From 2015
Visible Together reviewed the archived White House record of Xi’s 2015 state visit for comparison.
The basic meeting structure was similar. President Barack Obama and Xi first met in the Oval Office and then held an expanded bilateral meeting in the Cabinet Room.
The public-access structure, however, was different.
In 2015, the White House schedule provided press-pool access at the opening of both meetings, allowing a small group of reporters into the room as the meetings began. Obama and Xi later held a joint press conference in the Rose Garden.
For the September 24, 2026 meetings, both the Oval Office meeting and the expanded Cabinet Room meeting are closed to the press. No joint Trump–Xi press conference appears on the published schedule.
The distinction is observable in the two White House records. It does not, by itself, establish why the format changed.
It does mean that the documentary record following the meetings — U.S. and Chinese readouts, fact sheets, any written agreements, and the leaders’ post-meeting remarks — will carry greater weight in establishing what each government says occurred.
Visible Together will preserve the pre-meeting record and compare it with the documents released afterward rather than replacing the earlier status.
Issues Entering the Meeting
China’s Foreign Ministry said on September 21 that the two presidents would exchange views on major issues concerning China-U.S. relations as well as world peace and development.
On the U.S. side, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer have publicly discussed trade and artificial intelligence in connection with recent U.S.–China talks.
Iran has also been raised publicly ahead of the meeting. Asked on September 23 whether he would discuss Iran with Xi, Trump said, “We’ll see,” before adding that the conversation would cover that and many other subjects.
These statements establish issues that the two governments or their senior officials have publicly addressed ahead of the meeting. They do not constitute a complete or jointly issued agenda for the presidential talks.
Trade: U.S. Announces Agreement to Extend Truce
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a September 23 media interview that the United States and China had agreed to extend their existing trade truce by two months, moving its expiration from November 10 to January 10, 2027.
Bessent had met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng earlier that day.
The extension was announced by the U.S. Treasury secretary in a media interview; as of early September 24, neither government had released a formal written document on it.
Bessent also said he did not know whether the two countries would reach a broader agreement and indicated that another extension of the existing arrangement remained possible.
The public record as of early September 24 therefore consists of Bessent’s announcement of the extension, with formal documentation from either government still outstanding.
AI: Proposed Dialogue Remains Under Discussion
Artificial intelligence has emerged as a separate track in recent U.S.–China discussions.
Following a September 20 meeting in New York with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer described discussions about a new U.S.–China AI dialogue and a notification mechanism for major AI-related incidents involving national security.
The publicly available information does not establish that either mechanism has been formally created.
That places the AI discussions at a different documented stage from the trade-truce extension: U.S. officials have described the AI mechanisms as subjects of discussion, while Bessent has publicly described the trade extension as agreed.
Whether either subject appears in post-meeting documents — and how each government characterizes it — will provide a further status check.
First Ladies’ Program and State Dinner
While Trump and Xi meet, Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan are scheduled to participate in a cultural visit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art beginning at 11:30 a.m.
The two presidential couples will reconvene later at the White House.
Trump and Melania Trump are scheduled to greet Xi and Peng at the North Portico at 6:45 p.m.
The state dinner begins at 8:10 p.m. and is closed to the press; the leaders’ preceding remarks are the scheduled public portion of the evening program.
Trump told reporters on September 23 that representatives from the technology and banking industries, among others, would attend. A final guest list had not been publicly released as of early September 24.
September 25: White House Tea and the National Archives
The final day of the state visit includes another White House meeting.
Trump and Melania Trump are scheduled to welcome Xi and Peng at the South Portico before the four meet for tea in the Red Room.
They will then travel together to the National Archives, where the White House says they will view archival materials significant to the history of U.S.–China relations.
The White House has not publicly identified the specific documents to be displayed.
Trump and Melania Trump are scheduled to formally bid farewell to Xi and Peng at the National Archives. Xi and Peng will then travel to Joint Base Andrews for their departure from the United States.
What Comes After Washington
Two major multilateral summits follow later this year.
China is scheduled to host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen on November 18–19. The United States will host the G20 summit in the Miami area on December 14–15.
According to China’s Foreign Ministry account of Trump’s May visit to China, the two presidents agreed to support each other’s hosting of the APEC and G20 meetings.
Trump said publicly in June that he expected to return to China for a major meeting. As of early September 24, however, the White House had not formally announced that Trump would attend the Shenzhen APEC meeting, and China had not formally confirmed Xi’s attendance at the Miami G20 summit.
The two summits therefore should not yet be treated as confirmed next meetings between Trump and Xi.
Visible Together will update the status record below as new official information is released.
Status Record — As of Early September 24, 2026 ET
| Item | Source / Date Issued | Recorded Status | What Remains Unconfirmed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade truce through Jan. 10, 2027 | Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent / Sept. 23 | U.S. announcement that the two sides agreed to extend the existing truce | Formal documentation from either government |
| U.S.–China AI dialogue | Bessent and USTR Jamieson Greer / Sept. 20 | Discussed (per U.S. officials) | Formal establishment; scope and structure |
| AI-related national-security incident notification | Bessent and Greer / Sept. 20 | Discussed (per U.S. officials) | Formal establishment; operating mechanism |
| Sept. 24 bilateral meeting | White House published schedule / Sept. 23 | Scheduled for 11:30 a.m.; closed to press | Post-meeting readout |
| Sept. 24 expanded bilateral meeting | White House published schedule / Sept. 23 | Scheduled for noon; closed to press | Post-meeting readout |
| Public remarks before talks | White House published schedule / Sept. 23 | Scheduled for 10:15 a.m. | Statements delivered |
| Public remarks after talks | White House published schedule / Sept. 23 | Scheduled for 7:55 p.m. | Post-meeting statements and announced outcomes |
| Joint Trump–Xi press conference | White House published schedule / Sept. 23 | Not scheduled | Any day-of schedule change |
| National Archives documents to be displayed | White House state-visit materials / Sept. 21 | Described as archival materials significant to the history of U.S.–China relations | Specific documents to be displayed |
| Trump attendance at Shenzhen APEC, Nov. 18–19 | Trump / June | Publicly stated intention to return to China for a major meeting | Formal White House travel announcement |
| Xi attendance at Miami G20, Dec. 14–15 | — | Not publicly confirmed | Formal Chinese announcement |
Source note: Information as of early September 24, 2026 (ET). Schedules and press access are based on White House state-visit materials and the president’s published schedule for September 24. The 2015 comparison draws on the archived White House record of Xi’s state visit. Chinese government formulations are based on public releases from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Where U.S. and Chinese government terminology differs, Visible Together preserves the terminology of the government being cited rather than substituting a common formulation.
