Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his three-day state visit to Washington on Friday, September 25, by announcing he expects to meet President Donald Trump twice more before the end of the year — doubling the number of face-to-face meetings between the leaders of the world's two largest economies in 2026.

How the Visit Ended

Xi's final day began with a return to the White House, where he and his wife, Peng Liyuan, joined Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for tea in the Red Room. The visit coincided with China's Mid-Autumn Festival, a national holiday when families traditionally gather over mooncakes and tea to celebrate the end of harvest. Xi thanked the Trumps for their hospitality: "The highest courtesies, the most meticulous arrangements. This visit is very successful, and we also feel very satisfied," he said in Chinese. Trump responded warmly: "We've had a tremendous visit from two spectacular people, and we really enjoyed it, and I think we've made tremendous stride[s]." The two leaders and their spouses later toured the National Archives together before Xi departed for Beijing.

Where the Two Leaders Will Meet Next

Xi extended an invitation for Trump and Melania to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, next month. He also noted the two could meet again roughly a month later at the G20 summit, to be held at the Trump National Doral golf club in Miami, Florida, in December. Trump confirmed the plans on Truth Social after Xi's departure: "President Xi and Madam Peng have just left D.C., heading for China. The meeting was one of Friendship, Strength, and Success, for both China and the U.S.A."

What Was Actually Discussed

The two leaders met behind closed doors for 90 minutes on Thursday, discussing a range of geopolitical issues including the Middle East, Ukraine, and the Korean Peninsula, according to China's official government readout — the White House did not release its own account of the private talks. In public remarks from the White House's Grand Foyer, both leaders stressed the importance of continued discussions on artificial intelligence, and Trump touted new trade progress between the two countries. According to Chinese state media, Xi also said he hopes the US will oppose Taiwan independence.

A Notable Panda Diplomacy Moment

In a lighter touch amid the high-stakes diplomacy, Xi announced that two giant pandas would arrive at Atlanta's zoo in the coming days, calling the animals a historic "envoy of friendship" between the US and China — a callback to the decades-long tradition of panda diplomacy between the two countries.

Criticism: Heavy on Pomp, Light on Substance

Despite the warm public tone, the visit drew criticism from some in the US for being heavy on ceremony and light on concrete outcomes. There were no major breakthroughs announced this week on the two most closely watched issues — trade and AI safety cooperation — despite weeks of preliminary staff-level talks between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng that had built anticipation for more substantive agreements. One report characterized the visit bluntly as producing "no announced outcome," noting that as of several days after the visit ended, neither government had released formal results from the talks, even though Trump had repeatedly described the meetings as excellent.

Part of a Broader Pattern This Year

This marked Xi's first trip to Washington in over a decade, and the fourth in-person meeting between the two leaders in 2026 alone, following their first meeting of Trump's second term at the Busan Summit in South Korea on October 30, 2025, where Trump had first announced plans to visit China and invited Xi to visit the US in return. That earlier meeting also produced Trump's now-fulfilled plan for a reciprocal state visit, of which this week's Washington trip was the realization.

What's Next

With Xi already confirming plans for two additional meetings — at APEC in Shenzhen next month and the G20 in Miami in December — and both governments still expected to release formal outcomes from this week's talks, attention now turns to whether those forthcoming meetings can produce the substantive trade and AI agreements that this visit largely deferred. For continuing coverage, see the full AP report via Courthouse News.