Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 21
Trump Hosts Xi for 2-Day Talks as Ally Rift Shadows U.N. Diplomacy Week
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 21

Trump Hosts Xi for 2-Day Talks as Ally Rift Shadows U.N. Diplomacy Week

3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 21

Summary

  • Trump opens a high-stakes diplomacy week with a U.N. speech Tuesday and Xi Jinping’s arrival Wednesday, culminating in two days of meetings and a state dinner at the White House.
  • Those talks come as Trump has softened his tone toward China while clashing with allies over Canada, Greenland and Taiwan, leaving Washington with fewer partners willing to align against Beijing.
  • New York meetings will also include Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and possibly Volodymyr Zelensky, while Trump is set to sign a Greenland security deal with Denmark.
  • Concrete outcomes with Xi are expected to be limited, with officials focused more on setting up future talks—including on AI—than on major agreements during this visit.
  • Analysts say the split with allies is giving Beijing wider room to expand influence across Europe, Eurasia and the Global South even as Trump keeps prioritizing trade, investment and U.S. manufacturing.

Insights

Will a bold strategy of one-on-one diplomacy secure a historic breakthrough, or leave the US outmaneuvered on the global stage?
As traditional alliances fracture and rival coalitions rise, is this high-stakes meeting the final turning point toward a new multipolar world order?
With a fragile trade truce expiring and critical mineral exports restricted, can a single summit avert a massive global supply chain shock?