WASHINGTON (TNND) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday. The summit unfolded against a backdrop of unresolved flashpoints, including Taiwan, military communication, artificial intelligence, rare earths and Iran.

Dr. Yun Sun, a senior fellow and director of the China program at the Stimson Center, told The National News Desk the U.S. and China are still at an early stage in addressing AI-related risks and competition. (TNND)

Trump has framed the visit around “super intelligence,” and tech CEOs were expected to attend a state dinner Thursday night.

Dr. Yun Sun, a senior fellow and director of the China program at the Stimson Center, told The National News Desk the U.S. and China are still at an early stage in addressing AI-related risks and competition.

“Coming to AI or superintelligence, as President Trump has put it, I think the two countries are only getting started to have a conversation,” Sun said. She said there is “a lot to gauge” about each other’s technical capabilities, the commercial sector’s interest in advancing AI, and “how far government regulations can really go,” adding that the questions are “as much as they are domestic debates” as they are bilateral issues.

On Taiwan, Sun said the summit does not necessarily reduce the risk of Beijing taking advantage of shifting perceptions and argued China may see greater opportunity if Taiwan doubts U.S. resolve.

“It’s not necessarily narrowing that window, but I think the Chinese definitely see a bigger window here,” Sun said. She said a key factor is whether Taiwan has confidence in U.S. support “in the potential Taiwan contingency,” particularly “the military intervention.” Sun said if Taiwan loses confidence in U.S. backing, it could affect “the Taiwanese psychology” and “amplify or strengthen their desire for a political negotiation with China,” which she said is what Beijing has sought for years.

“They want Taiwan to consider unification and start the political negotiation over unification,” Sun said.

Sun also pointed to an ongoing U.S. debate over Taiwan’s importance to American interests.

“I think there has been a debate as for whether Taiwan constitutes a critical national interest of the United States,” she said, describing competing arguments that Taiwan is either too distant to be a “critical piece” of U.S. national interest or central to U.S. commitments in the region.

“If Taiwan cannot rely on U.S. support, can our allies rely on US support?” she said, adding that there is “a very loud argument that’s being heard that Taiwan does not constitute a critical national interest of the United States.”

Iran was also on the agenda, with Sun saying Washington has made clear it wants China to reduce purchases of Iranian crude oil, which she described as a financial lifeline for Tehran.

“First and foremost, the revenues that China has been creating for Iran through the import of Iranian crude oil has been essentially the life support for the regime,” Sun said. She said Treasury Secretary Bessent said the United States wanted China to “diminish, cut back on the oil import from Iran” to reduce revenue. Sun said China has been reluctant and argued that without significant U.S. sanctions on Chinese financial institutions, Beijing is unlikely to change course.

“Honestly speaking, given the extent of the Chinese transaction with Iran, without US putting significant Chinese financial institutions on the sanction list, I don’t think the Chinese will feel the pain,” she said, while warning that sanctioning major Chinese banks could bring “significant economic and financial repercussions for the US economy.”

Sun said China has signaled it is willing to act as a diplomatic mediator, but she described an implied message that Beijing will not be able to pressure Iran alone and that the U.S. and Israel would need to put “acceptable terms on the table.” She raised questions about what would happen after the conflict ends, including, “Will the assassination of Iranian leaders continue down the way beyond the ending of this conflict?”

Separately, Xi announced an invitation for 100,000 young Americans to visit China for exchanges and study over the next five years. Sun described the offer as part of a long-term strategy.

“This is indeed a long game that China has been playing,” she said, describing it as “people-to-people diplomacy” intended to build understanding and improve relations. Sun said China is looking to build “the foundation for this future generations of American public in terms of their positive view of China.”

Sun also questioned how the exchanges would be funded

“With these issues, the invitation is not just an invitation. Who’s going to put the bill? That’s the question that’s not answered,” she said, adding that there is a history of Chinese government-affiliated institutions and organizations inviting groups and paying for trips.