Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Image source, Getty Images

State dinners at the White House are lavish affairs, that require months of planning across multiple government agencies.

The State Department and White House protocol office, for example, work together to handle the diplomatic end of these events, including the formal invitations, precedence and liaison with their foreign counterparts.

The White House's social secretary, on the other hand, will work with offices within the White House and the visiting delegation to formulate a guest list, seating charts and a timeline.

The chief usher and residential staff work on the physical set-up of the venue - in this case the East Room - while the White House Military Office prepares the Marine Corps band and uniformed "social aides" who escort guests. There's even an officially-designated chief floral designer, who provides the flowers.

Perhaps the most high-profile work is conducted by the executive chef and pastry chef, who spend weeks designing a menu (more on that in our next post) that is meant to provide a nod and wink to the guest country while also using American ingredients. The food would have been pre-approved by the first lady.

As things stand, however, we aren't likely to see the food ourselves.

I'll be among the White House pool for the Xi and Trump remarks in the East Room, but have been told we'll be quickly escorted from the room following those remarks.

The conversations that will take place at those dinner tables, after all, are an important bit of diplomacy that both sides would prefer happen away from the prying ears of the media.

Rollover doesn’t mean US China trade relationship is fixedpublished at 22:46 BST 24 September

22:46 BST 24 September

Jonathan Josephs
Business reporter

Image source, EPA

There seems little sign of the world’s two biggest economies patching things up on trade unless the two leaders themselves can come up with something.

Previous stalemates, such as that on rare earths, have only been brokered with the direct involvement of Trump and Xi.

This week’s rollover of the trade truce until January is little more than a sticking plaster in a fractured relationship that has been defined by tariffs and other trade restrictions.

The numbers show that since President Trump returned to office, US-China trade has dropped sharply.

Bilateral trade was down 29% to just under $415bn last year with the bigger drop coming in what America buys from China rather than what it sells them.

Some of that is because Chinese goods have become more expensive for US consumers but it also reflects changing trade patterns.

A number of companies have moved manufacturing away from China to try and beat the tariffs.

Other restrictions, such as curbs on technology shipments, have also throttled trade.

Even if the talks in Washington yield any more progress, mutual suspicion means a return to the 2022 peak, where bilateral trade reached $690bn (£522bn), is likely an increasingly distant memory.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Image source, EPA

Journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico have been allowed back into the White House today after Trump banned them and revoked their access.

A federal judge ruled the ban should be temporarily lifted, but they were denied access this morning, prompting them to request an emergency hearing. That hearing was called off after their access was restored.

But the legal saga is not over yet.

The outlets must file a motion for a preliminary injunction by Monday, which the Trump administration has several days to reply to. The judge will then schedule a hearing on that request.

Trump appears to still be angry, posting that "ratings have dropped considerably" because the networks have "no credibility".

Much of his anger seems to be because of the - still ongoing - decision from the five US outlets in the White House press pool to not broadcast today's visit by President Xi.

He wrote that they "refused to cover one of the biggest and most beautiful events to take place in many years".

"The event was magnificent - actually made for television, but because they're fake news, and because they knew how good it would be, they didn't want credit to be given to Trump," he added.

It is unclear when broadcasting from the White House will resume. CNN reported the networks were seeking assurances they will again be allowed to continue pool duties, in addition to being allowed back on the grounds.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, protests have taken place around the capital during Xi Jinping's visit.

Protesters calling for an end to Chinese control of Tibet marched through Washington before stationing outside the US Capitol.

Tibet remains a highly sensitive subject for China following its annexation in the 1950s. The region has long demanded greater autonomy.

Beijing views Tibet as an integral part of China, but Tibetan leaders say China has brought in more troops and officials, which have chipped away at their faith and traditions.

Some leaders in Washington have supported the independence movement, with one top Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, paying a visit to the group of protesters today.

Image source, Getty Images

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Image source, EPA

There's a bit of a lull at the White House in the hours before President Xi and Madame Peng return for the resumption of the event.

It's messier here than usual. Lonely camera tripods are cluttering the outside driveway and interior halls of the press area, as are the gear bags of journalists who left but plan to return. Some are outside on the driveway, enjoying a pleasantly sunny and cool day in Washington.

I've only been here for the last hour or so, but multiple friends and colleagues from other outlets have recounted chaotic and tense encounters with their visiting counterparts of the Chinese media earlier.

We're next going to catch a glimpse of the two leaders on the North Portico of the White House, where Trump and the first lady will again welcome them back in ahead of the state dinner.

The announcement of a trade truce extension between the US and China came as the state visit kicked off yesterday.

As the chart below shows, US goods trade with China has fallen in recent years - including since Trump's return to office.

Tensions with China were a key feature of his first term, and things escalated again shortly after his return to office. Some key moments have included:

• Liberation Day tariffs: After Trump announced his so-called Liberation Day tariffs in April 2025, a tit-for-tat battle ensued with the tariffs threatened by each country soaring past 100%
• Subsequent truce: In May, the two countries agreed a truce - the US reduced its tariffs to 30% and China to 10%
• South Korea meeting: Following an in-person meeting in South Korea in October, Washington dropped part of the tariffs it had imposed on China over fentanyl, while China agreed to suspend export control measures on rare earths
• Supreme Court ruling: Earlier this year, the US Supreme Court struck down Trump's Liberation Day tariffs but the White House used different legislation to impose temporary 10% tariffs on all global imports. Those expired on 24 July, but Trump imposed new measures on 60 trading partners - including a 12.5% tariff on China
• Truce extension: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced yesterday that an agreement had been reached to extend an existing trade truce to 10 January, after it had previously been due to expire on 10 November

Could China lean on Iran to end the war?published at 21:09 BST 24 September

21:09 BST 24 September

Laura Bicker
China correspondent

China has a close relationship with Iran and buys the vast majority of Iranian oil. Washington believes that gives Beijing leverage over Tehran. So far, Xi has been reluctant to use it.

Chinese officials have taken a few steps to keep channels between Washington and Tehran open and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Iranian counterpart just last week. Beijing has also offered to play a "constructive role" in mediation.

China has tried to prevent a wider regional conflict by reportedly asking Iran to restrain Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

If Trump wants Xi’s help to end a war which is affecting his approval ratings ahead of the mid-term elections, China will want something big in return.

Some reports suggest Chinese officials may be willing to help end the conflict if Trump agrees to stall arms sales toTaiwan.

But the war in Iran is beginning to become a more urgent issue for Xi. The recent attacks on the Saudi pipeline have pushed Chinese crude oil prices to record levels - despite the country’s substantial oil reserves. China’s economy is heavily dependent on predictable energy prices and international trade - the war in the Middle East threatens both of those.

Xi may also see an opportunity to position himself as the statesman who helped end a costly conflict.

Image source, Reuters

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has urged the US and Iran to return to talks to resolve the Middle East conflict, Chinese state news agency Xinhua has reported.

The agency reports Xi told Trump that China has "always believed that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be respected", adding that "China has encouraged relevant parties to stay committed to peaceful solutions".

Xi is also reported to have said that China supports the US and Iran in returning to the so-called "memorandum of understanding", a 14-point ceasefire agreement signed in June.

Since then, the US and Iran returned to exchanging strikes and the ceasefire deal - meant to result in a permanent ceasefire and a deal within 60 days - has since expired.

Image source, Getty Images

Among some of the protestors in Washington are a group demonstrating against China's treatment of the Uyghur Muslim population in the country's Xinjiang province.

Human rights groups believe China has detained more than one million Uyghurs against their will over the past few years, in so-called "re-education camps".

One protestor, Aziz Sulayman from Virginia, told Reuters that his brother, a dentist called Alim Sulayman, was arrested 10 years ago.

"I don't know his whereabouts. And he was sentenced, that's what I heard, for 17 years, without any, court, any, due process. He is innocent. He is a young Uyghur man. We want him to be free."

Another protestor outside the White House, Haider Jan, told the news agency that "President Trump must confront Xi Jinping" over human rights abuses against the Uyghurs and other minorities in China.

The Chinese government has consistently denied all allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

Image source, EPA

As we mentioned in our previous post, Xi Jinping announced that two Chinese pandas will come to a new home in Atlanta.

It's part of a long tradition of "panda diplomacy" practised by China, where it has used the gift or loan of giant pandas as a gesture of goodwill towards international allies and competitors, and sent pandas across the globe to the US, Europe and Asia.

The Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong sent his first "panda ambassadors" as gifts to the Soviet Union in 1957.

After US President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972, two pandas were sent to Washington Zoo.

China has also used its pandas as a sign of displeasure.

In 2010, two US-born panda cubs were put on a plane back to China two days after Chinese officials warned President Barack Obama - ahead of a planned meeting between Obama and the Dalai Lama - that they could take "corresponding action".

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Live reporter

Image source, VCG via Getty Images

Chinese leader Xi Jinping confirmed earlier that two giant pandas will make their way to the US in the coming days as part of efforts to strengthen relations with his hosts.

"The giant panda has been an envoy of friendship between the Chinese and Americans," Xi said before announcing that two pandas "will come to their new home in Zoo Atlanta and meet with the American people”.

The two pandas, male Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang were born at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China and their arrival will mark a return of pandas to Atlanta's zoo after the last few moved back to China in 2024. The announcement was first made in April.

China has often used loans of the bears, which draw massive interest from the general public, as a tool in its soft power arsenal.

We'll have more on China's history of "panda diplomacy" in our next post.

Xi Jinping is on the second day of his three-day visit to the US. Today he's been hosted at the White House by Donald Trump.

Here are some images of their day so far:

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

China's leader Xi Jinping has said his country hopes the US will handle the issue of Taiwan with prudence, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

The outlet adds that Xi hopes the US will "adhere to [the] correct position" of opposing Taiwan's independence.

For context, Beijing has long vowed to "reunify" with self-governing Taiwan and has not ruled out using force.

The US Congress has approved a multi-billion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan which awaits Trump's signature, and there was speculation ahead of today's meeting that Xi could be looking for Trump to delay or avoid the sale.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Xi Jinping has left the White House, giving the US and Chinese delegations a break for a few hours before the visit continues.

President Trump, however, is scheduled to continue working. At 14:00 (19:00 BST), he'll receive an intelligence briefing - a highly sensitive meeting that takes place behind closed doors.

Following that, he is scheduled to attend a policy meeting. White House officials rarely share the topic or content of these meetings.

Xi will return to the White House at 18:45 (23:45 BST), when Trump and the first lady again meet Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan at the North Portico of the White House.

Just over an hour later, both leaders will deliver remarks in the East Room of the White House.

Notably, these large-scale events are among the reasons that President Trump often says that the White House needs a new ballroom - and it's possible, perhaps even likely, that he may mention that again this evening.

The evening will end with a state dinner before Xi leaves for the night.

Ione Wells
North America correspondent, in Washington DC

Image source, Reuters

A red carpet, military bands, flags, a flyover, and an upcoming elaborate state dinner - the Chinese president’s visit has been packed with pomp.

But despite the fanfare, it is not expected to lead to significant breakthroughs on some of the nations’ key points of tension.

These include a fragile trade war truce, which has been extended for two months until January, how to regulate artificial intelligence, China’s support for Iran and Russia, and its claim over Taiwan.

President Trump appeared keen to show this visit is about building on his relationship with his Chinese counterpart, who he visited in Beijing in May.

One of the major talking points was expected to be AI safety issues. Donald Trump has downplayed warnings of the risks of AI, citing the US’s rivalry with China over the technology. Some of America’s biggest tech companies and chip producers have been invited to the dinner tonight.

It remains unclear if the two AI superpowers plan to co-operate on addressing the technology’s potential risks.

Xi was also expected to use the summit to press Donald Trump to delay arms sales to Taiwan.

Image source, Reuters

China's President Xi Jinping has now left the White House following his bilateral meeting with Donald Trump today.

He will be returning later for a state dinner, which will also be attended by tech and AI bosses.

Image source, Getty Images

Trump has told reporters he and Xi Jinping had a "great meeting" at the White House earlier, the Reuters news agency reports.

He made the comments as he showed the Chinese president around the grounds of the White House, which included boarding the Marine One helicopter.

Image source, Getty Images

While bilateral talks were taking place at the White House, Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan visited the Smithsonian’s National Museum Of Asian Art in Washington DC.

Image source, Getty

Image source, Getty Images

Daniel Bush
Washington correspondent

The ceremonies for President Trump and President Xi have been orderly and efficient. For the press covering them, in contrast, it’s been a chaotic scene here at the White House today — with limited access to the two leaders’ events.

The media typically has more access to cover visiting heads of state, through “sprays” for the pool at the start of Oval Office meetings and sometimes press conferences in the East Room.

But the main Trump-Xi events so far today — outside of the arrival and military review ceremonies — have been closed press, including even to the pool.

There was a moment of chaos earlier when it seemed as if the Oval Office meeting between the leaders would open up. This led to some shouting and jostling in the White House briefing room as US and Chinese journalists scrambled to try and line up to get in. But the White House only brought in still photographers briefly, and the melee subsided.

The scramble to cover this summit comes amid the continued clash over media access between the White House and three outlets that were banned by Trump last week.

Early this morning a federal judge temporarily ordered access restored for CNN, MSNOW and Politico, but the outlets filed a new motion hours later saying the White House wasn’t complying with the court order.

All three outlets say their journalists have since been readmitted to the White House.

Though the impasse has already impacted pool coverage. In solidarity with CNN, other television networks agreed they would not be filming pooled moments of this visit.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

Reporters from three publications blacklisted by Donald Trump have now regained access to the White House.

Pictures show CNN White House correspondent Betsy Klein working at the White House after regaining access.

MS Now White House correspondents Laura Barron-Lopez and Jake Traylor were also pictured working on the grounds.

Politico also confirmed a reporter had been granted entry after being denied access earlier in the morning.

In court filings, the director of White House press operations Micah Stopperich said that instructions had been given to restore access to reporters' badges, and the Secret Service had restored access at 09:07 (14:07 BST).

Publications had previously sought an emergency court order to restore their revoked press access.

Image source, Reuters