By The United States has confirmed that a long-anticipated summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is “likely” in early 2026, U.S. Ambassador Kurt Tong said, building upon the momentum from recent phone discussions and diplomatic signals.
Trump has publicly committed to meeting Xi at the upcoming APEC Summit in South Korea later this year, and has additionally said he will travel to China early next year. Chinese officials reportedly agree at least in broad terms to reciprocal visits to the U.S. “at an appropriate time.”
Analysts interpret these developments as attempts to deescalate ongoing tensions over trade restrictions, national security, and technology policy—especially regarding the social media platform TikTok. The clarity of timing, while not yet concrete, has raised expectations of substantive dialogue rather than symbolic gestures.
Challenges remain. Key sticking points likely include how to handle data privacy, export controls on certain technologies, tariffs, and disagreements over China’s policies in the South China Sea and Taiwan. Financial Times+1 Still, the willingness to meet in person—even after years of limited direct engagement—marks a shift.
If the meeting occurs as expected, the Trump-Xi interaction will represent the most concrete diplomatic engagement since 2019, following earlier high-level phone calls and promises of reciprocal state visits. Observers say all eyes will be on the official agenda and any agreements that emerge.