Chinese leader Xi Jinping is due to arrive in the US on 23 September and will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House the following day. However, he does not plan to attend the UN General Assembly in New York, even though its general debate is due to begin that same week, Politico reported, citing informed sources.
Briefly about the main points
- Talks between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump are scheduled to take place at the White House.
- The Chinese leader will not be travelling to New York for the UN General Assembly.
- The UN General Debate begins on 22 September.
- Politico reports that the visit will last until 25 September.
- Xi’s last personal visit to the US took place in 2015.
The programme for the visit will be limited to talks in Washington
According to Politico, Xi Jinping is due to leave the United States on 25 September. A source at the publication noted that he will, in fact, spend only one day in the White House holding talks.
The White House confirmed in a statement that Xi Jinping would be visiting on 24 September. At the same time, the administration has not commented on other possible aspects of his programme in the US.
The General Debate of the UN General Assembly begins on 22 September. World leaders are expected to address the assembly in New York and hold bilateral meetings with representatives of the US government throughout the week.
Diplomats had anticipated that the summit might be combined with the General Assembly
Following the announcement of the date of the meeting in Washington, diplomatic circles speculated that Beijing might have chosen it so that Xi Jinping could also visit New York. An EU diplomat based in Washington told Politico as much.
According to him, diplomats in New York noted that the Chinese side had not sent an advance party to the city, as is usually expected in the run-up to a visit by the Chinese leader. The Chinese Embassy and the US Mission to the UN did not respond to the publication’s enquiries regarding the trip.
Xi Jinping’s previous addresses to the UN General Assembly
Xi Jinping’s last personal visit to the United States took place in 2015. On that occasion, he travelled to New York for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the UN and addressed the General Assembly.
In 2021, the Chinese leader addressed the General Assembly remotely — via video link. This trip will be his first in-person visit to the US in 11 years.
