By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that his meeting with Xi will focus on the prospect of major deals with Xi Jinping’s Washington visit, but the Trump administration is drawing a line around one of the most contentious issues on the table — access to rare earths.
The sources said that artificial intelligence, tariffs and critical mineral supplies are expected to dominate talks when the Chinese president arrives for a state visit next week.
US officials have ruled out exchanging American export controls for mineral flows that Washington said Beijing has already committed to provide.
President Trump said in the Oval Office “We’re doing very well with China. I would say others maybe not so well, but we’re doing very well with China. And President Xi and I have a good relationship. We’re going to have a lot of different deals.”
“We intend we’re not just doing it for our health. We’re going to have some pretty important meetings,” he added.
Washington expects Beijing to honour earlier commitments on supplying rare earth minerals to the United States and other economies.
A senior US official said China had so far failed to meet American expectations.
“China’s performance in that respect has not been up to par of what we would expect,” the official said.
US officials have rejected the prospect of giving up export controls in return for those supplies.
The US administration is discussing possible tariff reductions on a limited range of goods in sectors it does not consider sensitive or strategic.
Trump also revisited the steep tariffs imposed on Chinese goods, said the rate had previously reached 145 per cent before being lowered.
“China is paying us a lot of tariffs. And, you remember, I had it up to 145% at one point, but it was too much. It was really hurting them badly, and I didn’t want to do that,” he said.
The existing trade arrangement between Washington and Beijing referred to by US officials as the “Busan truce” will also be on the agenda. Officials have not indicated that an agreement on its future has been reached.
The Artificial intelligence will form another major strand of the talks.
Senior-level discussions with Chinese representatives in New York are also expected to take up AI before the Trump-Xi meeting.
US officials have declined to spell out their negotiating position or say whether an agreement could emerge.
The summit came as competition between the US and China over AI technology and access to advanced chips remains intense.
Chinese access to the US automobile market has also surfaced ahead of the talks.
US official said Trump would not compromise national security, and any investment would remain subject to applicable rules and regulations.
Washington is expected to press Beijing over fentanyl precursor chemicals.
US official accused China of remaining the predominant supplier of such chemicals to Mexican cartels. Recent arrests were not enough to satisfy Washington, the official said.
“But we’d like to see much more systemic change,” the official said.
US officials also said sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong entities accused of supporting Iran would remain in place.
Cases involved people the US considers wrongfully detained in China could also surface.
An official said Trump had raised the issue with Xi in previous encounters but did not confirm whether individual cases would be discussed this time.
Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, are scheduled to arrive at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, where Trump will receive them an unusual protocol gesture for an arriving foreign leader.
The main programme moves to the White House on Thursday with an arrival ceremony, military review and bilateral talks.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will later host Xi and Peng at a state dinner in the East Room.
Both couples are scheduled to have private tea on Friday before visiting the National Archives. Xi will then depart from Joint Base Andrews.
Trump is scheduled to meet the British and Japanese prime ministers as well as Gulf Cooperation Council leaders in New York on Tuesday before returning to Washington.
He will address the UN general Assembly on Tuesday is expected to cover Iran’s nuclear programme and his administration’s Gaza peace plan.
US officials have not confirmed whether Trump or other American officials will meet Iranian representatives during the gathering.
