Trump-Xi reunion comes with unfinished business — and a bigger battle looming

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington Wednesday evening for a summit with President Donald Trump, four months after the two leaders reached a sweeping agreement that included Chinese commitments on rare earths, agricultural purchases, trade and investment.

Trump hailed that agreement as a breakthrough for American farmers, manufacturers and workers.

But the latest talks come amid uneven progress on commitments involving rare-earth minerals, agricultural and commercial purchases, trade and investment, while key disputes over tariffs, advanced technology, artificial intelligence, intellectual property and Taiwan remain unresolved.

Under the May agreement, China committed to address U.S. concerns over rare-earth supplies and purchase at least $17 billion a year in U.S. agricultural products, while also approving an initial purchase of 200 Boeing aircraft, restoring market access for American beef and resuming poultry imports.

The two countries also chartered new boards on trade and investment.

CHINA’S XI SET TO ARRIVE IN WASHINGTON FOR HIGH-STAKES TRUMP SUMMIT AS AI SUPREMACY BATTLE LOOMS LARGE Four months later, implementation has been uneven.

Reuters reported that China is making progress toward finalizing its commitment to purchase 200 Boeing jets, while agricultural imports are projected to fall short of the agreed level and the new trade and investment boards are still being put into operation.

AI is expected to be a major focus of the two-day summit, along with possible tariff reductions on non-strategic goods and discussions over China’s rare-earth exports, according to a senior administration official.

The May agreement, when Trump and Xi last met, also chartered new U.S.-China boards on trade and investment, though it did not resolve the broader economic and national security tensions between the two countries.

REalloys CEO Lipi Sternheim told Fox News Digital China’s dominance of the rare-earth supply chain gives Beijing leverage over U.S. defense and technology industries, warning that the Trump-Xi meeting must preserve supplies while American production ramps up.

"The fact that Trump and Xi are meeting and the main topic of the day is rare earths probably tells you and the American people all they need to know about the importance," said Sternheim.

Sternheim said the immediate goal of the Trump-Xi meeting should be to keep rare earths flowing to U.S. defense manufacturers for the next two to three years, giving American companies time to build domestic mining, processing and magnet-making capacity and reduce their dependence on China.