He Lifeng Heads to Washington for Trump-Xi Summit Prep — SkimNews
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- He Lifeng will lead a Chinese delegation to Washington from September 19 to 23 for final preparatory talks on tariffs and trade, guided by prior consensus reached between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump at their May meeting in Beijing.
- Scott Bessent confirmed he will meet He for discussions on tariffs and artificial intelligence, calling their past exchanges "very good private discussions" and signaling continuity in the US negotiating team.
- Trump plans to personally receive Xi on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews on his expected September 23 arrival — a rare airport reception ahead of their September 24 summit.
- Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law on September 18, authorizing 100% tariffs on countries buying Russian oil and gas — a measure that explicitly targets China and India.
- China rejected the sanctions-linked tariff threat, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun calling such measures "long-arm jurisdiction" with "no basis in international law," while separately negotiating a $30 billion reciprocal tariff reduction framework with Washington.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Beijing on September 16 and told Foreign Minister Wang Yi that Tehran was "not interested" in continuing conflict with the US and wanted a diplomatic solution — a message Wang Yi raised days later with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a Thursday phone call.
Why it matters: The tariffs-on-Russia-oil law signed September 18 puts Beijing's energy relationship with Moscow directly in Trump's crosshairs just five days before the summit, yet both sides are simultaneously pursuing a $30 billion reciprocal tariff cut — meaning Xi's visit could either ease or reignite the trade war depending on how the Russia-sanctions clause is handled in the final talks.
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