As Xi meets Trump, who’s winning their trade war?

The trade war has been a cornerstone of Trump's second presidential tenure but failed to bring down deficits. Meanwhile, China clocked a mammoth trade surplus despite barriers.

x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping hold a bilateral meeting in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025 [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters] By Yashraj Sharma Published On 23 Sep 2026 23 Sep 2026 | Updated: 12 hours ago Updated: 12 hours ago Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to hold talks with United States President Donald Trump at the White House during his state visit – the first by a Chinese leader in more than a decade – as the world’s two largest economies are locked in an ongoing tussle over trade and artificial intelligence.