US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to support each other’s hosting of the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and G20 Leaders’ Summit, adding another point of cooperation after their latest White House meeting.
The agreement was included in China’s account of the leaders’ Sept. 24 talks in Washington. China is scheduled to host the APEC leaders’ meeting in Shenzhen, while the United States will host the G20 summit in Miami later this year.
The arrangement could also give Trump and Xi additional opportunities to meet in person before the end of 2026. Reports indicate the leaders are expected to attend the respective multilateral gatherings, potentially bringing their total number of face-to-face meetings this year to four.
Their latest summit covered much more than the two international forums. The leaders discussed trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan, the Middle East, the war in Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, according to Chinese accounts of the meeting.
Trade remained a major focus. Xi said the two countries’ economic and trade teams had reached a new joint arrangement, describing it as positive for businesses, people in both countries and the global economy. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has separately said the two sides agreed to extend their existing trade truce by two months, through Jan. 10.
The two governments still have substantial disagreements. Xi urged Washington to handle the Taiwan issue with caution and called for continued dialogue, while US policy toward Taiwan remains a sensitive issue in the broader US-China relationship.
The leaders also exchanged views on major international conflicts and regional security issues. However, the public accounts released after the meeting provided limited detail on what, if anything, was agreed on those issues.
The mutual support for APEC and the G20 is therefore significant primarily as a commitment to continued high-level engagement. It does not by itself resolve the deeper disputes between Washington and Beijing over trade, technology, Taiwan and strategic competition.
With Shenzhen and Miami now potentially providing the next stages for direct Trump-Xi diplomacy, the coming months will show whether the latest agreements can translate into longer-term stability in one of the world’s most consequential bilateral relationships.
