Xi’s visit to US to begin on September 24 — Trump

Xi's US Visit Expected in September as Both Sides Ramp Up Preparations

Preparations are moving forward for Chinese President Xi Jinping's anticipated visit to the United States in September, with diplomatic channels active on both sides, according to multiple reports.

President Donald Trump said at an event in Washington that "President Xi is coming over on September 24th," according to TASS. Trump's statement follows his own visit to Beijing on May 14-15. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in early June that there were few tangible results from that trip, describing its purpose as direct interaction between the leaders of "the two most powerful countries in the world."

Ahead of the reported September visit, US Senator Steve Daines, a Montana Republican, is expected to return to China for another round of talks, according to people familiar with the preparations cited by the South China Morning Post. The trip is intended to help finalise the agenda for what both sides hope will be a high-stakes summit between Xi and Trump.

Daines has emerged as an important backchannel figure between Washington and Beijing. He visited the Chinese capital in May as the two sides sought to stabilise relations ahead of Trump's trip. One person familiar with the matter said Daines has been carrying messages ahead of leader-level engagements and helping narrow differences on issues expected to dominate the coming summit. "Both sides understand his role very well," the source said. "He has become an effective channel for communicating President Trump's concerns to the Chinese side and vice versa."

On the Chinese side, Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu is expected to travel to the United States next week on a trip likely to lay the groundwork for Xi's visit later this year, the South China Morning Post reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Ma would be in Washington and that a stop in Miami – host city of the G20 summit in December – was also likely.

Ma's trip would lend more certainty to Xi's expected visit, according to the report, potentially bringing greater stability to ties between the world's two largest economies. Xi last visited the US in 2023, when he attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco and met with then-president Joe Biden on the sidelines.

Analysts quoted by the South China Morning Post expressed cautious optimism that near-term diplomatic engagements could help steady relations ahead of the expected September summit. "If Ma's trip materialises, it will serve as a temperature check on US-China relations, potentially paving the way for positive surprises during President Xi's visit in September," said Feng Chucheng, founder and partner of Hutong Research, a Beijing-based strategic consultancy.

Neither the White House nor the Chinese foreign ministry has officially confirmed the full details of Xi's visit beyond Trump's public statement about the September 24 arrival. The agendas for both Daines' trip and Ma's meetings have not been disclosed.