Sept. 23, 2026, 5:09 a.m. ET
A management summit between any two nations is all the time trigger for pressure-packed preparations by all related businesses, however for the Sept. 24 White Home U.S.-China summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese language President Xi Jinping, the stakes have arguably by no means been larger.
China faces the lack of 18 million manufacturing unit jobs, rampant earnings inequality and a 70% enhance in rural protests between 2024 and 2025.
The USA faces skyrocketing oil costs, persistent threats of escalation from Iran and China’s alarming commerce surplus.
For large “bilaterals” like this one set for Thursday, each Cupboard company and all senior White Home employees scurry to place collectively an agenda. Listed below are methods they will seemingly undergo the president as bases for memorandums of understanding, which is able to come from the conferences if executed properly.
Trump, Xi ought to name for a world convention on AI
Trump and Xi, initially, might comply with take part in and lead a world convention on synthetic intelligence, with constructive usages and safeguards.
Trump should search a halt to China’s rampant mental property theft, which has enabled Chinese language corporations to save lots of billions of {dollars} coaching their AI on American frontier fashions.
Nevertheless, as a result of each nations deeply distrust the opposite to pretty navigate AI security on their very own, the leaders should deal with patent and copyright theft legal guidelines, and implement AI guardrails in opposition to human hurt. Provided in a spirit of pleasant rivals, this might profit each nations and the world.
A joint assertion may very well be vital.
Acquire extra uncommon earth metals for the USA
In 2025, Beijing started requiring overseas corporations to acquire a particular government-approved license to ship sure merchandise containing uncommon earth metals sourced from China.
To acquire these licenses, corporations needed to share extremely delicate knowledge, together with profiles of end-users.
Corporations affiliated with overseas militaries can be largely denied licenses until Washington maintains some data entry (now recognizing U.S. army’s dependence on Chinese language uncommon earth parts) however the USA and China might agree on mutual help.
There may very well be larger tariffs or tighter restrictions on China’s entry to semiconductors until China withdraws its expanded license necessities.
Make clear US-China analysis collaboration
Just lately, hundreds of thousands of {dollars} of Washington funding for schools has helped Beijing develop important army know-how via tutorial analysis involving organizations affiliated with China’s protection industrial base, in line with a Home Republican report.
In response, make clear and regulate extra strongly analysis collaboration between American universities and Chinese language-military-affiliated organizations.
Negotiate guardrails on tech elements that may spy
Mounting proof reveals that Chinese language tech elements can secretly transmit data to China.
It is a huge nationwide safety danger, significantly because of the U.S. army’s reliance on Chinese language batteries. Trump should safe restrictions on elements offered to the USA with surveillance capabilities.
Keep strategic ambiguity on Taiwan
Taiwan stays the strictest pink line for China, so any diplomatic negotiation requires strategic ambiguity on Taiwan contingencies. Stay obscure about whether or not the USA would militarily help Taiwan within the case of a Chinese language invasion.
Maintain the $14 billion pending Taiwan arms sale up for negotiation and go away for later after this summit, relying on Xi’s openness to different calls for, and sign help for China whereas protecting future choices open to help Taiwan if needed.
Pledge to scale back oil costs
Washington needs Beijing to purchase American items. Sadly, rising oil costs from the Iran battle exacerbated manufacturing prices in China, slowing down its financial progress, and driving the Chinese language to purchase fewer American items.
Trump might pledge de-escalation makes an attempt with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to deliver down oil costs. Make clear that China ought to cease shopping for Iranian oil till the Strait of Hormuz is opened, and that China ought to increase its settlement to import extra American agricultural items.
Cooperate on drug coverage, goal methamphetamine and fentanyl
Broaden the McCaffrey-China anti-drug settlement made greater than a quarter-century in the past on methamphetamine and now fentanyl.
In 2000, retired Military Gen. Barry McCaffrey, as head of the Workplace of Nationwide Drug Management Coverage, led a delegation to China and negotiated a drug remedy and supply prevention settlement. He defined that for China itself, remedy was greater than warehousing 1000’s of addicts chilly turkey in an enormous room in a Chinese language metropolis. It meant cease permitting import of medicine from Myanmar, previously often called Burma, and offering jobs and counseling for addicts.
Now, China is a significant supply of devastating fentanyl in the USA. An settlement to assist one another may very well be a productive part of the Trump-Xi summit.
Enhance cultural ties
To solidify long-term belief, Trump ought to enhance cultural ties between the 2 nations by renewing a dedication to sharing arts and sports activities – like Chinese language desk tennis and U.S. soccer diplomacy – and alluring China’s Nationwide Peking Opera again to the USA.
Each Trump and Xi are at a crossroads
Xi faces a legitimacy disaster. Whereas lots of his residents have lengthy supported the Chinese language Communist Social gathering’s general financial prosperity, China’s stagnating economic system and skyrocketing youth unemployment have vastly weakened the get together’s inside political legitimacy.
For his half, Trump’s reversing his low approval scores forward of the November midterm elections (and, consequently, the Republican Social gathering’s success) is dependent upon his capacity to ship financial aid, and quick. That may be achieved by rising American exports to China.
Chinese language leaders are as all in favour of making productive offers with the USA as we’re with them, making the Trump-Xi summit an infinite alternative for the 2 world superpowers in addition to the world.
Robert Weiner was a spokesman within the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, the White Home drug coverage spokesman, chief of employees for the Home Growing older Committee, and communications director of the Home Authorities Operations and Oversight Committee. Emmbrooke Flather is a senior coverage analyst at Robert Weiner Associates, and served as copresident of the Chinese language Tradition Membership at Phillips Academy Andover. At Boston Faculty, she studied Mandarin, East Asian Safety and the Rise of China.
