What's at stake during the meeting between Trump and Xi

What can we expect from the Trump-Xi summit? NPR's A Martinez asks Daniel Kritenbrink, an assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific affairs in the Biden administration.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: For more of what's at stake during this visit, Daniel Kritenbrink joins us. He served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Beijing. He also was the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam during the first Trump administration and is now a partner with consulting firm The Asia Group. So Daniel, this is a state visit between the two largest economies, two largest military powers. What's the No. 1 thing that President Trump needs to accomplish? DANIEL KRITENBRINK: Well, good morning, A. I think the most important outcome from this summit will be maintaining this so-called fragile truce between the two powers that was agreed to last year. If that truce is extended - if that stabilizes the relationship, prevents us from going back to that trade war - I think that's the single most important outcome. And, actually, I think that's what President Trump is focused on. It's optics, but it's optics designed to promote that stability. MARTÍNEZ: What about for Xi Jinping? KRITENBRINK: I think Xi Jinping is largely motivated by the same concerns. I enjoyed your setup a moment ago. I do think President Xi comes to Washington feeling extremely confident. He stood up to President Trump in the trade war. He showed that he can fight eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. But make no mistake about it. President Xi would like to have stability at home. The domestic economy in China is still quite sluggish, and he has his own domestic politics. And he hopes to have a fourth term next year, so he'll want this to go smoothly, but he's hoping for stability as well. MARTÍNEZ: Do you glean anything from Trump meeting Xi personally on the tarmac? KRITENBRINK: Well, it's extraordinary to me, A, just how much respect, if not admiration, President Trump seems to have for President Xi. He always praises President Xi as a great leader and a strong leader. The president does seem to have real admiration for such strong leaders. The fact that he went out to the airport, that there was this flyover - I think that's all designed to signal his tremendous respect for President Xi. But it really is quite unprecedented to see the president go that far in conveying that respect. MARTÍNEZ: You said President Trump has respect and admiration for Xi Jinping. Is fear any part of that? KRITENBRINK: Well, I wouldn't necessarily say that, but I would say this, A. When you think about where the Trump administration was last year, the president, you recall, in April, essentially launched a trade war against the Chinese. And the Chinese responded in a very robust way, particularly by cutting off rare earth exports to the United States as leverage. That caused the U.S. stock and bond markets to wobble, and I think that convinced the president that he'd had enough of this trade war with the Chinese and therefore wanted stability. So I don't think it's fear, but I think it's a practical approach to the issue. I think the president doesn't have the stomach for a full-on trade war... MARTÍNEZ: When... KRITENBRINK: ...With China. And I think that... MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. KRITENBRINK: ...Has motivated his approach. MARTÍNEZ: You know, when President Trump meets with other world leaders, Ambassador, it seems to me like both sides know what they want out of each other - so, say, when he meets with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. But why is it that when he meets with Xi Jinping, there's always a sense of things that are left unspoken in these meetings with the Chinese leader? KRITENBRINK: Well, it's perhaps hard to say. But I think part of it is related to that respect that I talked about. But I also think, for the Trump administration, it's quite clear their priority No. 1 is trade, and I think the president doesn't focus as much on the other issues. So again, I think the core issue for this visit will be extension of that truce. But essentially, it's a trade truce, right? MARTÍNEZ: OK. KRITENBRINK: China agrees to keep its rare earth exports flowing to the United States and others, and the United States agrees to curb some of its most restrictive tech-export controls on China. That's the core of the truth. I think that's what will get extended. I think that's what the president really cares about above all other issues. And so I don't think you'll see human rights issues feature that prominently in the visit, if at all. And I also think security issues will take a backseat to the trade issues. MARTÍNEZ: So no Taiwan mentions from either of the two, either on the record or off the record. KRITENBRINK: Well, no. Now, that, I would say, is a different matter. I'm confident that Taiwan will come up, as it always does in every visit, in every meeting between the United States and China. But I wouldn't expect Taiwan to dominate the visit, like it seemed to do in Beijing. I think both sides will state their views. We do have to watch this closely. But I'm skeptical there would be any breakthrough on Taiwan or, for that matter, any other major issue. MARTÍNEZ: Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Beijing and is now a partner with The Asia Group. Thank you very much for your time. KRITENBRINK: Thank you so much, A. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: For more of what's at stake during this visit, Daniel Kritenbrink joins us. He served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Beijing. He also was the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam during the first Trump administration and is now a partner with consulting firm The Asia Group. So Daniel, this is a state visit between the two largest economies, two largest military powers. What's the No. 1 thing that President Trump needs to accomplish? DANIEL KRITENBRINK: Well, good morning, A. I think the most important outcome from this summit will be maintaining this so-called fragile truce between the two powers that was agreed to last year. If that truce is extended - if that stabilizes the relationship, prevents us from going back to that trade war - I think that's the single most important outcome. And, actually, I think that's what President Trump is focused on. It's optics, but it's optics designed to promote that stability. MARTÍNEZ: What about for Xi Jinping? KRITENBRINK: I think Xi Jinping is largely motivated by the same concerns. I enjoyed your setup a moment ago. I do think President Xi comes to Washington feeling extremely confident. He stood up to President Trump in the trade war. He showed that he can fight eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. But make no mistake about it. President Xi would like to have stability at home. The domestic economy in China is still quite sluggish, and he has his own domestic politics. And he hopes to have a fourth term next year, so he'll want this to go smoothly, but he's hoping for stability as well. MARTÍNEZ: Do you glean anything from Trump meeting Xi personally on the tarmac? KRITENBRINK: Well, it's extraordinary to me, A, just how much respect, if not admiration, President Trump seems to have for President Xi. He always praises President Xi as a great leader and a strong leader. The president does seem to have real admiration for such strong leaders. The fact that he went out to the airport, that there was this flyover - I think that's all designed to signal his tremendous respect for President Xi. But it really is quite unprecedented to see the president go that far in conveying that respect. MARTÍNEZ: You said President Trump has respect and admiration for Xi Jinping. Is fear any part of that? KRITENBRINK: Well, I wouldn't necessarily say that, but I would say this, A. When you think about where the Trump administration was last year, the president, you recall, in April, essentially launched a trade war against the Chinese. And the Chinese responded in a very robust way, particularly by cutting off rare earth exports to the United States as leverage. That caused the U.S. stock and bond markets to wobble, and I think that convinced the president that he'd had enough of this trade war with the Chinese and therefore wanted stability. So I don't think it's fear, but I think it's a practical approach to the issue. I think the president doesn't have the stomach for a full-on trade war... MARTÍNEZ: When... KRITENBRINK: ...With China. And I think that... MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. KRITENBRINK: ...Has motivated his approach. MARTÍNEZ: You know, when President Trump meets with other world leaders, Ambassador, it seems to me like both sides know what they want out of each other - so, say, when he meets with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. But why is it that when he meets with Xi Jinping, there's always a sense of things that are left unspoken in these meetings with the Chinese leader? KRITENBRINK: Well, it's perhaps hard to say. But I think part of it is related to that respect that I talked about. But I also think, for the Trump administration, it's quite clear their priority No. 1 is trade, and I think the president doesn't focus as much on the other issues. So again, I think the core issue for this visit will be extension of that truce. But essentially, it's a trade truce, right? MARTÍNEZ: OK. KRITENBRINK: China agrees to keep its rare earth exports flowing to the United States and others, and the United States agrees to curb some of its most restrictive tech-export controls on China. That's the core of the truth. I think that's what will get extended. I think that's what the president really cares about above all other issues. And so I don't think you'll see human rights issues feature that prominently in the visit, if at all. And I also think security issues will take a backseat to the trade issues. MARTÍNEZ: So no Taiwan mentions from either of the two, either on the record or off the record. KRITENBRINK: Well, no. Now, that, I would say, is a different matter. I'm confident that Taiwan will come up, as it always does in every visit, in every meeting between the United States and China. But I wouldn't expect Taiwan to dominate the visit, like it seemed to do in Beijing. I think both sides will state their views. We do have to watch this closely. But I'm skeptical there would be any breakthrough on Taiwan or, for that matter, any other major issue. MARTÍNEZ: Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Beijing and is now a partner with The Asia Group. Thank you very much for your time. KRITENBRINK: Thank you so much, A. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

For more of what's at stake during this visit, Daniel Kritenbrink joins us. He served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Beijing. He also was the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam during the first Trump administration and is now a partner with consulting firm The Asia Group. So Daniel, this is a state visit between the two largest economies, two largest military powers. What's the No. 1 thing that President Trump needs to accomplish? DANIEL KRITENBRINK: Well, good morning, A. I think the most important outcome from this summit will be maintaining this so-called fragile truce between the two powers that was agreed to last year. If that truce is extended - if that stabilizes the relationship, prevents us from going back to that trade war - I think that's the single most important outcome. And, actually, I think that's what President Trump is focused on. It's optics, but it's optics designed to promote that stability. MARTÍNEZ: What about for Xi Jinping? KRITENBRINK: I think Xi Jinping is largely motivated by the same concerns. I enjoyed your setup a moment ago. I do think President Xi comes to Washington feeling extremely confident. He stood up to President Trump in the trade war. He showed that he can fight eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. But make no mistake about it. President Xi would like to have stability at home. The domestic economy in China is still quite sluggish, and he has his own domestic politics. And he hopes to have a fourth term next year, so he'll want this to go smoothly, but he's hoping for stability as well. MARTÍNEZ: Do you glean anything from Trump meeting Xi personally on the tarmac? KRITENBRINK: Well, it's extraordinary to me, A, just how much respect, if not admiration, President Trump seems to have for President Xi. He always praises President Xi as a great leader and a strong leader. The president does seem to have real admiration for such strong leaders. The fact that he went out to the airport, that there was this flyover - I think that's all designed to signal his tremendous respect for President Xi. But it really is quite unprecedented to see the president go that far in conveying that respect. MARTÍNEZ: You said President Trump has respect and admiration for Xi Jinping. Is fear any part of that? KRITENBRINK: Well, I wouldn't necessarily say that, but I would say this, A. When you think about where the Trump administration was last year, the president, you recall, in April, essentially launched a trade war against the Chinese. And the Chinese responded in a very robust way, particularly by cutting off rare earth exports to the United States as leverage. That caused the U.S. stock and bond markets to wobble, and I think that convinced the president that he'd had enough of this trade war with the Chinese and therefore wanted stability. So I don't think it's fear, but I think it's a practical approach to the issue. I think the president doesn't have the stomach for a full-on trade war... MARTÍNEZ: When... KRITENBRINK: ...With China. And I think that... MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. KRITENBRINK: ...Has motivated his approach. MARTÍNEZ: You know, when President Trump meets with other world leaders, Ambassador, it seems to me like both sides know what they want out of each other - so, say, when he meets with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. But why is it that when he meets with Xi Jinping, there's always a sense of things that are left unspoken in these meetings with the Chinese leader? KRITENBRINK: Well, it's perhaps hard to say. But I think part of it is related to that respect that I talked about. B