Beijing is leveraging a 1982 joint communiqué to push for a complete cessation of US military transfers to Taiwan during President Xi Jinping's Washington visit this week. Chinese officials seek a halt to both new sales and existing orders, including a $14 billion arms package that currently awaits Trump's approval. The US president has previously characterized that specific deal as a negotiating chip and may use it as leverage in broader discussions.

The two leaders meet on September 24 to negotiate the extension of a trade truce involving $30 billion in tariff cuts that expires November 10. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng began preliminary discussions on AI policy and agricultural purchases at JPMorgan headquarters in New York to set the stage for the summit. Executives including the CEOs of Nvidia, OpenAI, and Microsoft plan to attend a state dinner for Xi during the visit.