President Donald Trump has announced a significant easing of his stance toward China ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state dinner at the White House on Thursday.
The shift follows a decade‑long campaign in which Trump branded China a threat to the U.S. economy, but recent remarks paint a different picture.
During a recent address, Trump said ‘We have a very good trading relationship… we get along great,’ and dismissed reports that China helped Iran with satellite data.
Trump’s pivot comes after a tariff war that pushed U.S. duties on Chinese goods to high levels, yet the trade imbalance in goods has declined relative to the same period in 2025, Census Bureau data shows.
Michael Kovrig, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, noted that Xi’s leverage has outpaced Trump’s, calling the former president’s approach a diplomatic truce.
The state dinner, slated for 10 pm Thursday, will be followed by a joint press conference and a briefing on potential trade talks, with the administration set to announce new policy directions early next week.