China has officially announced President Xi Jinping’s schedule for his visit to the U.S., where he is set to attend a U.S.-China summit at the White House in Washington on Sept. 24 local time. The announcement appears to largely dispel rumors over Xi’s health that had surfaced ahead of the summit.

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U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose ahead of their summit at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. The two leaders are scheduled to meet again at the White House in Washington on Sept. 24. / Xinhua

According to Beijing diplomatic sources familiar with U.S.-China relations on Sept. 22, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing the previous day that “at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump, President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to the United States from Sept. 23 to 25.”

Xi is therefore set to hold a summit with Trump at the White House on Sept. 24 as scheduled. The visit comes about four months after the two leaders held talks in Beijing during Trump’s May 13-15 visit to China.

“During the visit, President Xi will have in-depth exchanges of views with President Trump on major issues concerning China-U.S. relations as well as world peace and development,” Guo said.

“Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-U.S. relations,” he added. “The realization of reciprocal visits by the Chinese and U.S. presidents within half a year carries historic and milestone significance.”

Guo also expressed expectations for the summit, saying, “China is willing to work with the United States to consolidate the substance of a constructive and strategically stable China-U.S. relationship, properly manage differences through stronger dialogue and cooperation, continuously improve the well-being of the two peoples, and promote global peace, stability and prosperity.”

Asked about claims that China had failed to fulfill its commitments on rare-earth supplies, Guo said, “China has consistently worked to safeguard the stability and security of global production and supply chains for critical minerals.”

“China and the U.S. should jointly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and maintain the momentum of stable development in bilateral economic and trade relations,” he added.

His remarks effectively reiterated Beijing’s general position on rare earths, one of the key issues expected to be discussed at the summit.

Asked whether China would agree to extend the suspension of rare-earth export controls beyond the current Nov. 10 deadline, Guo declined to answer directly, saying he recommended referring the question to the competent authorities.

On whether China’s rare-earth export controls against Japan would be discussed at the summit, Guo said the measures were intended “to prevent Japan’s remilitarization and attempts to acquire nuclear weapons.”

“China’s position on safeguarding the stability and security of global production and supply chains for critical minerals remains unchanged,” he said. “At the same time, all parties have a responsibility to play a constructive role toward that goal.”

According to Beijing diplomatic sources, Xi’s upcoming trip will mark his first visit to Washington since 2016. It will also be his first state visit to the U.S. in 11 years, since his September 2015 trip at the invitation of then-President Barack Obama.

Xi met then-President Joe Biden in San Francisco in 2023. Before that, he met Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in 2017.

                                                                                                          Hong Soon-do