Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on September 23 that the United States and China agreed to extend their trade truce — the so-called Busan Agreement — from its November 10 expiration to January 10, 2027, as Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington for his first state visit to the US in more than a decade [6][7][17]. Bessent said the extension would give both sides more time to explore whether a broader deal is possible [26][36]. The announcement coincided with Xi's arrival at Joint Base Andrews, where President Donald Trump greeted him on the tarmac with a red carpet, honor guard, and military flyover [1][9][12].
Chinese officials and state-linked commentators framed the visit and truce extension as evidence of a workable partnership. Xi called for the two countries to be "partners rather than rivals" whose interests are deeply intertwined [6][7][22]. Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng described the goal as "constructive strategic stability," a formula he said is "`no es un eslogan` (not a slogan)" — a phrase he characterized as a call to act in the same direction rather than mere rhetoric [23]. US Ambassador to China David Perdue said both sides have "completed most" of their Busan commitments and that China is on track on soybean purchases [28], while CGTN cited $560 billion in 2025 bilateral goods trade as evidence of a mutually beneficial relationship [5]. Bessent said there has been great stability in US-China relations since last autumn [15].
Analysts and Bessent himself framed the two-month extension as a limited measure. Bessent told Fox News he did not know whether a bigger deal could be reached or whether the current deal would simply be rolled over [25][26]. CSIS analyst Scott Kennedy called the short extension a starting point for talks that lets markets price in the summit's outcome [8], and Brookings fellow Jonathan Czin described the visit's aim as extending a "gentleman's agreement" to reduce tensions despite rivalry [6][9]. Mercator Institute director Mikko Huotari said "`Xi Jinping braucht keinen Durchbruch, er braucht mehr Zeit` (Xi Jinping needs no breakthrough, he needs more time)" [15], while Tsinghua researcher Sun Chenghao warned that "`Ich fürchte, dieses Problem kann nicht durch ein oder zwei Gipfeltreffen gelöst werden` (I fear this problem cannot be solved by one or two summits)" [15]. Former national security official Craig Singleton argued that Beijing wanted a much longer period of predictability, while Washington preserved an early opportunity to test Chinese performance and reassess its leverage [26].
The ceremonial welcome itself drew opposing reactions. Republican Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Xi "a brutal, unelected and oppressive dictator who seeks to dominate his neighbors and whose massive military arsenal is aimed directly at the United States of America" and said Trump should not have extended such honors [6][9][12]. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the engagement, saying that as the world's two largest economies and most powerful militaries, the US and China have an obligation to interact at the highest level and that failing to do so would be "irresponsible" and "outrageous" [12][23]. First Lady Melania Trump said Xi "is coming on our soil, and we need to welcome them with the most respect" [10][12].
Taiwan arms sales remained a point of tension. A senior US official said Trump will decide soon on a new Taiwan arms sale package, following an $11.1 billion sale authorized in December [27]. Carnegie China director Damien Ma said Xi will push Trump on Taiwan including US arms sales, and that the summit is mostly about "putting meat on the bone" onto the stability framework [21]. Rubio framed arms sales as a matter of US industrial capacity rather than a Taiwan-specific decision [27]. Wicker urged Trump to discuss China's military expansion and its relationship with Iran with Xi [13].
Artificial intelligence was on the summit agenda as a strategic issue for both sides. Trump posted on Truth Social that there is a "SICK conspiracy" against AI and data centers and that "WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS," adding that the US is leading China [10]. Sun Chenghao criticized US calls to slow China's AI development as lacking evidence [15]. George Chen, chair of the Digital Practice at The Asia Group, said the US and China will still clash on the world stage, with the open question being "who's going to write the global rules for AI" [21].
Third countries and regions framed the truce as a variable reshaping their own trade exposure. Bruegel analyst Alicia García Herrero said "`Xi Jinping kommt mit klaren Vorteilen nach Washington, selbst auf amerikanischem Boden` (Xi Jinping comes to Washington with clear advantages, even on American soil)" and that the US will effectively negotiate rare earth access on Europe's behalf, for which Europe will pay a price [32]. EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič raised rare earth access in a video call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao [32], and Central Asian experts warned that a US-China thaw would not end great-power competition over minerals and transit in their region [34]. Mexico's deputy secretary of foreign trade, Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez, said the US postponed the fourth round of T-MEC talks because of Xi's visit [39], and a Francophone African analysis examined whether China's zero-tariff regime for 53 African countries may deepen asymmetric trade [33].
Iran and North Korea's security files were entangled with the summit's broader agenda. Iran International reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beijing before Xi's trip, with Chinese foreign policy adviser Wu Xinbo saying the aim was to prepare a serious Trump-Xi discussion on Iran [30]. Trump confirmed he would discuss Iran with Xi [6][9]. North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui rejected a US-Japan-South Korea denuclearization statement issued on the eve of the summit, stating that "`핵보유의지는 백년, 천년이 지나도 절대불변할 것` (The will for nuclear possession will remain absolutely unchanged even after a hundred or a thousand years)" [31].
The White House also said Trump wants Hong Kong democracy advocate Jimmy Lai released from prison [7][22]. Xi's delegation included no Chinese CEOs, while top US tech executives attended the state dinner [6][9]. The truce extension had not been immediately confirmed by Beijing as of September 24 [25][29]. Bessent said China is behind on purchases of US agricultural products, with soybean commitments being met but $17 billion in other agricultural purchases lagging [14][35].