US presses China on suspected nuclear tests in confidential talks during Xi visit
The pressure is being applied in private channels even as Xi Jinping's Washington visit is built around trade and cooperation
Published
The Trump administration is pressing China on suspected nuclear tests through confidential talks, running alongside a Washington visit by Xi Jinping that has been framed publicly around trade and cooperation.
The visit has also touched on Taiwan, artificial intelligence, narcotics cooperation, trade and US-Iran relations, and includes a state dinner on Thursday evening. Xi told Trump that China's stance on sovereignty and territorial integrity is clear.
Trump is separately weighing whether to let Chinese automakers build electric vehicles on US soil, an idea that surfaced during the same visit.
The private pressure over nuclear testing sits awkwardly against the public warmth of the visit. The administration is pursuing security concerns behind closed doors while emphasizing friendship and cooperation in front of cameras, a sign that strategic tensions remain even as trade and AI cooperation are discussed. Traders should treat the optimistic signals on trade and technology as contingent on unresolved security disputes rather than as a genuine reset in the relationship.