My NEW report from @CSIS! Coming in at a svelte 147 pages, the report argues that China’s advancement across high-tech sectors has directly strengthened the country’s international power and influence, and that other governments need to respond pragmatically to reduce the downside costs and raise the upside opportunities to make the most of these developments. csis.org/analysis/power-inno…

Enjoyed appearing on @NewsNation to discuss the summit - trade, AI & Iran. No breakthroughs, to say the least. newsnationnow.com/video/trum…

For a first quick take on the Trump-Xi summit, my @CSIS colleagues Edgard Kagan, Bonny Lin, Tom Christensen & I breakdown what was accomplished and what was not. A big thanks to @CSISGeopolitics @WillTodman for masterfully hosting us. csis.org/podcasts/state-play…

Hope fading for new Boeing deal during US-China summit, sources say reuters.com/business/autos-t…

So far the summit isn't even meeting the low expectations folks had going in. Likely only a 2-month extension of the trade & export-control truce, little interest by President Trump in a meaningful AI dialogue, a couple pandas, a tour of the helipad, & more Chinese pressure on Taiwan. No reports yet on the $30-for-$30B in tariff cuts or Iran. Both are slow-walking giving anything. Acts 3 & 4 in Shenzhen and Miami will need to produce more. nytimes.com/live/2026/09/24/…

Whenever the leaders of powerful countries get together, there is a chance to do big things. But that would require sustained commitment from both parties, which does not seem possible in either capital, writes @KennedyCSIS ahead of today's Trump-Xi summit. Read: bit.ly/4ymgFlz

⏰ Tomorrow morning: A rapid assessment of the Trump-Xi summit. Join @CSISFreeman’s @edgardkagan, @CSISCBE’s @KennedyCSIS, and @ChinaPowerCSIS’s Dr. Bonny Lin as they unpack what happened at the White House and what to watch next in U.S.-China relations. 📆 September 25 | 9:00–10:00 a.m. EDT 🔽 Register: csis.org/index%2Ephp/events/…

"The Xi state visit is likely to be heavy on optics but light on substantive progress, highlighting both leaders' conviction that each is the only one who can manage the other," writes @edgardkagan. Read: bit.ly/4dATATB

Summit opening video at the White House, with Xi speaking, seems "low energy." Might be the camera angle/width, but their arrangement seems a little odd, showing the others sitting behind Xi while he speaks. Perhaps the result of not having a major media feed. piped.video/watch?v=EmHjLMVB…

Chinese customs data show how China's exports of rare earths to the US have overall fallen from the pre-Trump era. washingtonpost.com/world/202…

My first piece for @NewYorker is out today! As Xi Jinping lands in DC to start his state visit, you'll hear a lot about the US-China AI race. I'd like to tell a complementary AI story. This past May, a few days after Trump visited Beijing, I went to the town people call China's vibe-coding capital, Liangzhu. There, you learn that China's AI scene is not monolithic. It's also full of contrarians, cool vibe coders, spiritual seekers, and people who love AI but refuse to join the 996 grind. Liangzhu is on the edge of Hangzhou. I hung out with a group of anti-mainstream builders who use AI to make whimsical apps for fortune-telling, mental well-being, and creativity. Some of them run their lives entirely by bazi astrology (their founder almost became a Taoist monk). They meet on "Crazy Thursday" to vibe-code together. Rent is cheap, so they can get a bigger place with a living room to have friends over (unthinkable in Beijing or Shenzhen). In Liangzhu, they want to use AI to forge their own future. It’s a ground-level story—less about model capabilities, hyperscalers, or AI policy, and more about how people in China are using AI, and the human stories behind it.

“Trump may laud Xi as a respected friend, as he did when the two men met in Beijing in May. Yet Xi is no friend of Trump’s. Throughout his 14 years in power, #China’s president has acted deliberately and consistently to undermine the United States. His two-day trip to Washington now seems perfectly timed to exploit the weakness of his host and main strategic rival,” @MichaelSchuman writes in @TheAtlantic. theatlantic.com/internationa…

The two-month extension raises the likelihood Xi will go to the G20 in December. He would need to go not just for reciprocity’s sake, but to finish negotiating the truce extension. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

MONDAY | What will be the key economic security takeaways from the Trump-Xi summit? Join @CSISCBE & @CSISEST for a discussion on what comes next for the U.S.-China economic relationship. Register: csis.org/events/takeaways-tr…

It was an honor to speak with @Marketplace about what might be accomplished during the Trump-Xi summit on trade and AI. marketplace.org/story/2026/0…

Xi on track to land in DC tonight with a deceptively modest goal: keep things basically as they are. Extend the trade truce. Push off pressure over Taiwan and AI. Give Trump his cordial relationship. Above all, prolong what Beijing sees as a window of geopolitical opportunity.

No obvious outward signs by Xi of ill health during his arrival at Andrews. And he seemed at ease.