Another likely talking point between Trump and Xi is artificial intelligence, a topic that David Firestein from the Bush China Foundation said has “climbed rapidly toward the top of the agenda” ahead of this visit.
China and the US are competing in what has been described as an AI arms race. But after a series of recent high-profile security incidents involving the emergent technology, there has been growing pressure on the Trump administration to regulate AI and slow its development.
Senator Bernie Sanders wrote on X this week: “For the sake of all humanity, Trump and Xi must negotiate a treaty NOW to pause AI and ban superintelligence before it’s too late.”
Trump’s former White House advisor Steve Bannon and some Republicans in Congress have also warned about dangers posed by AI.
The president, who views the technology as vital to the US economy and a battleground in a global struggle for power, has been reluctant.
He views defeating China in the AI race as a primary objective. “Whoever wins AI, wins,” Trump has said.
Firestein told the BBC he expects Trump and Xi to discuss ways for AI collaboration.
On Sunday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng and said the two had “very successful” talks on trade and AI.
Experts who spoke to BBC said any major breakthroughs on AI or other issues are unlikely to occur during the many Trump-Xi meetings planned this week.
Then there is Taiwan, which remains an ongoing diplomatic thorn.
The US Congress has approved a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan that awaits Trump’s signature. He has held off for now, viewing the move as a bargaining chip with China.
China has long vowed to “reunify” with self-governing Taiwan and has not ruled out the use of force.
Firestein said he expects Xi will be looking for Trump to either commit to extending the delay of the arms sale or somehow avoiding the sale altogether.
Xi – like Trump – is also facing economic headwinds at home, and is expected to use this visit as an opportunity to discuss deepening US-China trade.
However, that presents a potential political problem for Trump. Some members of his cabinet and his supporters view China with deep suspicion.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a letter, external to Ford Motor Company in September, urging the company to cut ties with China due to national security concerns and protection of American jobs.
Regardless of the clear hurdles that remain before any new US-China deals are inked, it is clear that Trump views personal contact with Xi as vital to the process.
“Trump has made a decision that no matter what, we need to not have a confrontational relationship with China,” Stephen Orlins, president at the National Committee on US-China Relations, said.
“He believes that the more he and President Xi meet, the less confrontational that relationship will be,” Orlins continued, “and he is right.”
With additional reporting by Daniel Bush, Washington correspondent
