Trump meets Xi this week. Expect small steps on trade and AI, not breakthroughs. - Yahoo Finance

Trump meets Xi this week. Expect small steps on trade and AI, not breakthroughs. Ben Werschkul · Washington Correspondent Mon, September 21, 2026 at 6:00 AM EDT 7 min read President Trump meets later this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and observers are hoping for incremental progress on key issues.

But don't expect major policy breakthroughs.

On trade, there is a hope that the current truce between the US and China could be formally extended and some concessions negotiated, as Trump has delayed making new tariff provocations.

Meanwhile, on artificial intelligence, there is little expectation for any agreement around scaling back the rapid pace of developing frontier AI models but hopes for increased communication. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that preliminary talks had focused on a possible "notification mechanism between the two countries" around AI.