WASHINGTON, Sep 20 – Trump once built much of his political message around portraying China as a major threat to American jobs, manufacturing and the middle class. A decade later, the president is preparing to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House with an unusually warm display of hospitality.
Trump is scheduled to host Xi for a state dinner on Thursday, an event that underscores how dramatically the president’s approach to Beijing has changed since his first campaign for the White House.
During his initial presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly argued that China’s trade practices had weakened American industry and contributed to the loss of manufacturing jobs. His criticism of Beijing became a central part of his economic message as he promised to put pressure on China and bring more production back to the United States.
Today, Trump speaks far more favorably about Xi personally, even as Washington and Beijing remain strategic competitors.
“He’s a great gentleman; we get along great,” Trump said this month. He also described the two countries as competitors while emphasizing what he called a very good relationship with Xi and a strong trading relationship between the United States and China.
The warmer rhetoric comes at a moment when the two countries are competing for influence over manufacturing, technology, artificial intelligence, energy supplies and global trade.
Trump’s tariff strategy struggled to force China into major concessions
Trump’s shift toward personal diplomacy with Xi follows a difficult period in which his administration attempted to use tariffs and export restrictions to force Beijing to change its economic behavior.
During the previous year, the administration repeatedly increased pressure on Chinese imports, while Washington also sought to restrict China’s access to sensitive technologies. The strategy was intended to strengthen America’s negotiating position and reduce China’s economic leverage over the United States.
Instead, Beijing demonstrated that it had its own powerful economic tools.
One of China’s strongest advantages is its control over much of the global supply chain for rare earth minerals, which are essential to a wide range of electronics, industrial equipment and advanced technologies. Chinese restrictions involving those materials gave Beijing additional leverage during negotiations with Washington.
Michael Kovrig, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group and a former Canadian diplomat, said Trump’s initial strategy had not produced the results the administration wanted.
“Trump has dramatically shifted his approach to China because his initial attempt to use super-high tariffs and export restrictions was unsuccessful,” Kovrig said.
He described the confrontation between Trump and Xi as a contest over leverage and argued that China had emerged from that confrontation with significant bargaining power.
The change in Trump’s approach is also taking place against a broader transformation in U.S. relations with traditional allies.
Trump has repeatedly criticized European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, while his relationship with NATO allies has remained strained over disagreements surrounding U.S. military policy. His administration has also engaged in a major trade dispute with Canada, despite the two countries’ long-standing economic and security ties.
Those tensions have complicated efforts to build a united Western approach toward China.
Kovrig argued that Trump’s disputes with U.S. allies have given Beijing an opportunity to present itself as a more predictable partner. He said Western governments are increasingly looking toward Beijing as they try to manage the uncertainty created by Washington’s changing policies.
China, meanwhile, has continued expanding its manufacturing capacity and developing industries that are increasingly important to the global economy.
Chinese companies have made significant gains in electric vehicles and other advanced technologies, creating additional competition for manufacturers in countries including Germany, Japan, South Korea, France and Italy.
China’s trade position has also remained strong despite U.S. tariffs. The country recorded a global trade surplus of about $1.2 trillion last year, while its manufacturers continued seeking customers in markets outside the United States.
There are also signs that some Chinese exports may be reaching the U.S. market indirectly. The Trump administration has pointed to increased shipments through countries such as Vietnam as evidence that companies may be attempting to reduce the impact of tariffs.
The U.S. trade deficit in goods with China has declined compared with the same period in 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. But the broader manufacturing competition between the two economies has not disappeared.
China’s ability to redirect exports toward other markets has allowed its industrial sector to maintain substantial global reach.
Trump and Xi are emphasizing their relationship as competition continues
For Trump, the personal relationship with Xi has produced several highly visible diplomatic gains.
The two leaders have maintained direct contact while Washington and Beijing have worked to prevent their economic rivalry from turning into a broader confrontation. Trump has already traveled to Beijing this year, and additional meetings could take place at international summits later in 2026.
The White House has also gone to considerable lengths to prepare for Xi’s visit.
A helipad has been prepared on the White House South Lawn, while Trump has publicly lamented that the new White House ballroom will not be completed in time to host the Chinese president.
The symbolism is notable because Trump spent much of his political career arguing that Washington needed to take a harder line toward Beijing.
Yet the president has recently appeared reluctant to escalate several disputes involving China.
When reports emerged that China had provided Iran with satellite imagery, Trump responded by saying he believed Xi had behaved reasonably well. Trump has also taken a less confrontational tone when discussing accusations that Chinese officials accessed U.S. voter information in 2020.
The softer approach does not mean the underlying rivalry has disappeared.
China continues to expand its military capabilities and invest heavily in artificial intelligence, while the United States is trying to strengthen its own position in emerging technologies and critical minerals.
Artificial intelligence has become particularly important to the competition.
Trump has argued that the United States must move quickly to develop AI and has warned that efforts to slow American development could benefit China. In a recent social media statement, he described AI as potentially the greatest economic development engine in history.
At the same time, the rapid expansion of AI has generated domestic political opposition in the United States, particularly over the construction of large data centers and their impact on communities and energy demand.
There are also concerns in Washington about Chinese AI companies obtaining or using American-developed technology and models.
Attorney General Todd Blanche pushed back against the idea that China should simply be described as a “bad actor” in the AI sector. Speaking at the White House last week, Blanche emphasized the relationship between Trump and Xi and said the two leaders work together to make deals.
The question now is whether that personal relationship will produce concrete results during Xi’s visit.
State visits often conclude with agreements involving trade, investment, security or other policy matters. So far, it remains unclear whether Thursday’s meeting will produce a major new agreement.
Evan Medeiros, a Georgetown University professor and former National Security Council director for China during the Obama administration, said the relationship itself could become the principal outcome of the visit.
He cautioned that a focus on maintaining personal ties with Xi could come at the expense of a broader American strategy for competing with China.
Trump’s approach reflects a longstanding preference for personal diplomacy. Rather than relying solely on institutional alliances, economic pressure or traditional diplomatic channels, he has repeatedly emphasized his relationships with individual foreign leaders.
That strategy is now being tested with Xi at a time when the United States and China remain deeply connected economically while competing across technology, manufacturing, military power and global influence.
The contrast with Trump’s first presidential campaign is striking. The candidate who once presented China primarily as an economic threat is now preparing a highly ceremonial welcome for its president.
The change does not erase the rivalry between Washington and Beijing, but it demonstrates how Trump’s second-term strategy has moved from maximum economic pressure toward a combination of tariffs, negotiations and personal diplomacy.
What remains uncertain is whether the warmer relationship can deliver measurable changes in the areas where the two countries remain far apart.