US and China extend trade truce as Xi makes first state visit in 11 years

Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Wednesday for Thursday talks with Donald Trump, who met him on the tarmac; their third meeting in under a year extended a trade truce some analysts call optics and others a step toward a deal. Beneath the visit, rivalry persists over AI, rare-earth metals, Taiwan and Iran. Since Trump’s January 2025 tariffs on Chinese goods over fentanyl, Beijing retaliated with levies and rare-earth export curbs; tariffs neared 150% before talks paused them.