Xi's Washington Visit Puts Iowa Ties in Spotlight as China-US Relations Seek Stability

Chinese President Xi Jinping is heading to Washington for a state visit and high-stakes talks with President Donald Trump, a meeting that carries weight for Iowa's agricultural economy and its long-standing people-to-people ties with China.

The trip, expected to complete reciprocal visits within months, marks Xi's second state visit to the United States since 2015. More than a decade on, the world's most important bilateral relationship has weathered trade disputes, tech curbs, and diplomatic turbulence. How Beijing and Washington manage their differences is increasingly consequential for both nations, and for Iowa farmers and businesses that depend on export markets.

What is the new vision for China-US relations?

In May, when Xi hosted Trump in Beijing, he opened their talks with three pointed questions: Can the two countries overcome the Thucydides Trap and create a new paradigm of major-country relations? Can they meet global challenges together? Can they build a bright future for bilateral ties?

Those questions came after years of friction, from tariff battles to technology restrictions. The Beijing summit produced a new consensus: building a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability over the next three years and beyond.

Da Wei, director of Tsinghua University's Center for International Security and Strategy, called it the first time in over a decade that both sides broadly agreed on how to define the relationship.

How have Xi and Trump built personal rapport?

Head-of-state diplomacy remains the anchor of China-US relations, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in preparation for the summit.

Since Trump's re-election, Xi has kept in contact through face-to-face meetings and phone calls, sometimes in casual settings. During the May visit, Xi invited Trump to Zhongnanhai, the leadership compound in central Beijing, for a private meeting and a garden stroll. Xi later told Trump over tea that while Trump hopes to make America great again, he is dedicated to leading the Chinese people toward national rejuvenation.

Such personal moments date back to their first meeting in 2017 at Mar-a-Lago, where Xi presented Trump with Chinese calligraphy reading: “A nine-story tower rises from a heap of earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

What role do trade and economics play?

Xi has repeatedly stressed that economic and trade relations should serve as the “ballast” of China-US ties, not a stumbling block. He made that point to Trump in Busan, South Korea, in 2025, and again during the Beijing summit, where trade teams reported “generally balanced and positive outcomes.”

Following the surge of US tariffs in 2025, Beijing responded with countermeasures while keeping negotiations open. The latest round of talks concluded in New York on Sunday, described as candid, in-depth, and constructive.

“There is no winner in a trade war,” Xi has said, both privately and on the international stage. At the BRICS summit in New Delhi, he warned that “decoupling and cutting off supply chains will not hold back our development process,” and that “small yard, high fences” policies only box oneself in and divide the world.

Xi has also courted American business leaders. In March 2024, he met with US business, strategic, and academic representatives in Beijing. During the May visit, he sat down with executives from Apple, Nvidia, Tesla, and Boeing alongside Trump.

Why does Iowa matter in China-US relations?

Xi's connection to Iowa runs deep. He first visited the state in 1985 as a young official, and he has maintained friendships there for decades. Those ties have been a recurring theme in his outreach to the American people.

Xi has also emphasized youth exchanges. In 2023, he announced an initiative to invite 50,000 young Americans to China over five years. That goal was reached two and a half years ahead of schedule by May this year. A 2026 Reagan Institute survey found younger Americans significantly less likely to view China as a major threat.

Beyond youth, Xi has corresponded with veterans of World War II's Flying Tigers, recalling the bonds forged between the two peoples during that conflict. He has urged both sides to “build more bridges and pave more roads for people-to-people interactions,” not erect barriers.

A recent viral story underscores that message. In 1999, American teacher Ronald Sakolsky donated $5,000 to Chinese woman Yin Yuzhen's tree-planting efforts in Inner Mongolia. She cultivated a forest of more than 50,000 trees. When Sakolsky reunited with Yin in August, he was asked what message he wanted to bring home. His answer: “Bridge.”

“China is ready to rebuild the bridge,” Sakolsky said. “Is America ready? I believe so.”

What are the stakes for the upcoming summit?

US scholar Robert Lawrence Kuhn, a longtime observer of China, said both sides have a big stake in constructive strategic stability. From artificial intelligence and climate change to public health and counter-narcotics, there are plenty of shared issues. The immediate goal, he said, is preventing disputes over tariffs and critical minerals from escalating further.

For Iowa, the outcome of this summit could influence agricultural exports, trade policy, and the broader economic climate. As Xi prepares to land in Washington, the question is whether this visit will chart a steadier course for the world's most consequential bilateral relationship.