Why šµ UnitedStatesNews-NoOpEd picked: First Thing: Trump welcomes Xi to Washington amid tensions over trade, AI and Taiwan
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Source: theguardian.com
<p>State visit takes place at same time as UN general assembly, which Chinese leader has avoided. Plus, meet the people who are real-life PokĆ©mon āprofessorsā</p><p>Good morning. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/23/trump-xi-jinping-china-us-state-visit" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc" target="_blank">Donald Trump has welcomed Xi Jinping to the US</a>, greeting the Chinese leader on the asphalt at Joint Base Andrews at the start of his state visit. Xiās trip coincides with the UN general assembly in New York, but he is not attending the gathering.</p><p>The pageantry will continue with a formal welcome on the South Lawn of the White House, private tea with the US president and first lady, and a tour of the National Archives, among other special events. The White House also invited major tech leaders to a state dinner being held for Xi.</p><p>What will the two leaders discuss? Amy Hawkins notes in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/23/trump-xi-summit-us-china-ai-trade-taiwan-climate" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc" target="_blank">this explainer</a> that topics are likely to include the development of AI technology, frosty trade relations and Taiwan.</p><p>What developments have there been in US-China relations? The US treasury secretary, Scott ā Bessent, announced that the US ā and āChina agreed on Wednesday to extend the so-called Busan ā agreement, a temporary trade truce between the worldās two biggest economies.</p><p>Who else has been invited to the US? The US <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/23/trump-putin-g20-summit-miami" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc" target="_blank">has invited Vladimir Putin</a> to take part in the G20 meeting scheduled to take place in Miami in December, in what would be the Russian leaderās first attendance at such a summit since he launched his invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said: āWe hope thatās an invitation heāll accept.ā</p><p>Why is Israel facing a water supply crisis? Israel is facing weeks of water shortages after an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/24/israel-water-shortages-destruction-gaza-treatment-plants-pollution-sanitation-crisis" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc" target="_blank">exceptional algae bloom crippled much of its desalination capacity</a>, in a crisis scientists say was triggered when Israeli attacks destroyed much of Gazaās wastewater infrastructure, causing a huge discharge of untreated sewage.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/24/first-thing-trump-xi-washington-tensions-trade-ai-taiwan" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc" target="_blank">Continue reading...</a>