45: What To Expect From the Second Trump-Xi Summit

President Donald Trump will be meeting in Washington, D.C. with President Xi Jinping for their second in-person meeting this year. The summit comes against the backdrop of increasing attention on artificial intelligence, U.S. arm sales to Taiwan, and an ongoing trade dispute that dates back to Trump’s first term. Beyond policy, the meeting will likely highlight Trump’s primary approach to statecraft: prioritizing direct, personal leader-to-leader diplomacy.

In this episode of Baker Briefing, Ambassador David M. Satterfield speaks with C.V. Starr Transnational China Fellow Steven W. Lewis and nonresident scholar David H. Katz about how President Xi views the U.S., China’s strategy regarding Iran, and the role of ambiguity in diplomacy.

Featured:

• Steven W. Lewis, Ph.D: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/steven-w-lewis  
• Daniel H. Katz, Ph.D.: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/daniel-h-katz  

Mentioned in this episode:

• Daniel H. Katz and Steven W. Lewis, “Trump-Xi Summit Tests the Future of US-China Relations” 

This conversation was recorded on Sept. 18, 2026.

You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.