Xi says he'll see Trump again soon as he wraps up US visit with a look
at the Constitution
[September 26, 2026]
By MICHELLE L. PRICE and FU TING
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his state
visit to Washington on Friday by announcing that he will meet President
Donald Trump two more times before the end of the year, doubling the
number of face-to-face discussions between the leaders of the world’s
two largest economies in 2026.
The promise of more meetings to come capped off a three-day state visit
that has been criticized by some in the U.S. for being heavy on pomp and
light on substance, though Trump said they discussed the war in Iran.
The two leaders have made a show of working to preserve harmony, but
there were no major breakthroughs this week on issues such as trade or
the safety of artificial intelligence.
Some trade analysts were struck by how few tangible accomplishments
seemed to come from the meeting. Little was announced outside of the
promise of more meetings and Washington and Beijing agreeing as Xi
landed in the U.S. to extend their trade truce only a few months until
January.
“A lot of pomp and circumstance or sound and fury but signifying
nothing. There’s just not a lot there,” said Scott Lincicome, vice
president of general economics at the Cato Institute.
“Another summit without tangible results merely allows China to run out
the clock on Trump’s second term without significant concessions,” said
Jeff Moon, a former U.S. trade official and diplomat in President Barack
Obama's administration who runs the China Moon Strategies consultancy.
The leaders discussed the Iran war behind closed doors
The two leaders met behind closed doors for 90 minutes on Thursday, when
they discussed issues such as the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean
Peninsula, according to the official Chinese government readout of the
meeting. Trump told reporters on Friday that he and Xi discussed the
Iran war, but did not offer additional details.
“We had a great meeting. We had a really great meeting. Great for the
farmers. Great for everybody,” he said.
Though Trump administration officials have played down the impact of any
assistance that China may be providing to Iran as the war stretches to
nearly seven months, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said Friday
that Trump asked Xi to avoid providing help to Tehran.
“We made it very clear to them weeks ago that, you know, any help that
they would give Iran — whether it be direct or indirect, whether it be
intelligence or parts or military equipment — was totally unacceptable,”
Perdue told CNBC in an interview Friday. “President Trump made that very
clear again yesterday.”
Xi is hosting the APEC summit in China in November
Xi extended an invitation for Trump and first lady Melania Trump to go
to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, in
November and noted that they could meet again a month later at the G20
summit at the Trump National Doral Miami golf club in Florida.
“We do welcome Mr. President and the first lady to visit China,” Xi
said.
Trump responded, “We will, and we’ll be speaking a lot.” He later
confirmed the two meetings in a post on social media.
[to top of second column]
|
President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, China's President
Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, with Bradford Wilson, Archivist
of the United States, view the Constitution, Bill of Rights and
other documents at the National Archives, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in
Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Trump takes Xi to the National Archives
Trump on Friday took Xi to visit the National Archives, showing off
the sacred texts of U.S. democracy to the leader of the world’s most
powerful communist country.
Trump, a Republican, has been seeking to demonize Democrats as
communists during the run-up to the November midterm elections, a
message that has been muddied by the red-carpet treatment he has
given Xi this week.
Inside the nation’s vault of records, where the Declaration of
Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are
kept, Xi peered at the documents behind protective glass as a guide
spoke about them.
After viewing the Constitution, Trump told reporters waiting nearby
that the two leaders discussed how old their nations are.
“We’re just comparing,” Trump said. “Ours goes 250 years, which is
great, and we’re proud of it. But theirs goes 6,000 years.”
He added: “There’s a little difference between 6,000 and 250, but
we’re very proud of our 250.”
The leaders and their spouses had tea in the Red Room
The Trumps feted their guests Thursday night with a black-tie state
dinner attended by technology industry titans. Earlier in the day,
Trump gave Xi a personal tour of his White House flourishes,
including a gallery wall of presidents and a new 100-foot-long
(30-meter-long) granite helicopter landing pad — and pointed out his
ballroom, still under construction. Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan
toured the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.
On Friday, Xi's day began at the White House, where Trump and the
first lady hosted the Chinese leader and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for
tea in the White House’s Red Room.
Their visit fell during China’s Mid-Autumn Festival, a national
holiday when families traditionally gather to celebrate the end of
harvest, sharing mooncakes, round pastries filled with a sweet
paste, over tea.
Xi thanked the Trumps for the visit. "The highest courtesies, the
most meticulous arrangements,” Xi said in Chinese. “This visit is
very successful, and we also feel very satisfied.”
Trump grinned when an interpreter relayed what Xi had said.
“We’ve had a tremendous visit from two spectacular people, and we
really enjoyed it, and I think we’ve made tremendous strides,” Trump
said.
___
AP writers Ken Moritsugu in Beijing and Didi Tang, Josh Boak and
Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
