Ahead of Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper urges him to stand his ground and avoid flattering the leader.

WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington on Wednesday for a three-day visit where the superpowers' tensions over trade, technology and Tehran will play out against a backdrop of pomp and ceremony.

The two sides have spent weeks discussing the trappings of the Chinese leader’s Washington visit, while leaving the biggest sources of tension largely untouched.

Both the U.S. and Chinese leaders are seeking to maintain stability in ties between the world’s two biggest economies, with few concrete results expected from their White House meeting.

The U.S. has said several American tech executives would join a dinner as part of the summit. Beijing has yet to share any names of Chinese business leaders accompanying Xi. In this article BEIJING — With two days to go before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to land in the U.

The Chinese leader has not been seen since the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 13, according to reports.

Experts attribute the changing mood to fading memories of the coronavirus pandemic, awareness of China’s tech innovations and disaffection with President Trump’s trade wars.

Trump and Xi are expected to discuss a range of issues from trade to AI during the latter's multi-day visit to Washington.

Fears persist about Trump ‘sucking up’ to Xi on Taiwan, but few concrete outcomes anticipated from US meeting

President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are expected to discuss artificial intelligence and trade when they meet on Thursday.

Speculation about Xi Jinping's health is swirling following rumors that the Chinese president fell ill at a summit hosted by India. A U.S.-based activist and political exile from China alleged that Xi had a stroke during the event.