Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives in Washington today for talks with US President Donald Trump that are expected to be more pomp than progress. Trump will personally greet Xi, with a state dinner to follow tomorrow. Both appear wary of ending their uneasy truce: Beijing has widened controls on the export of precursors used to make illegal drugs, a persistent frustration of Washington’s; Trump, meanwhile, has largely curbed hawkish rhetoric from his administration towards China.
But huge differences remain between the superpowers on AI regulation, trade policy, and Taiwan’s security, and expectations of business deals have waned as Chinese CEOs are unlikely to be joining Xi on his trip.