The upcoming summit of the leaders of the United States and China, which is set to take place in just one week, is encountering significant challenges in terms of planning. According to U.S. officials, inter-agency discussions to prepare briefing materials and talking points for President Donald Trump to present to Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his delegation are still ongoing.
Logistical Challenges
The uncertainty regarding the number of seats that will be allocated to the Chinese delegation at the official dinner that night has hindered the final selection of technology executives to accompany Xi Jinping, the leader of China. The details of the planning have been obtained through interviews with 10 current and former U.S. officials and three individuals involved in the summit planning.
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Concerns from Beijing
Although China is optimistic about the summit, senior Chinese officials in the Foreign Ministry and the country's top political committee have recently expressed their concerns to U.S. representatives about finalizing the agenda and security details and protocols in the days leading up to the summit. These issues include details on seating arrangements, speaking times, and the composition of the audience at the entrance ceremony, which are of high importance to Beijing.
The Trump administration is known for its last-minute negotiating style, which has caused confusion among their counterparts in Beijing. During a visit in July to Washington, Chinese officials raised more than a dozen follow-up questions regarding the logistics, for which they did not receive clear answers.
Impact on Planning
Planning for this summit is progressing slowly due to conflicting schedules within various U.S. government agencies. The United States has not taken any further actions beyond a "full reciprocal deal," meaning that Xi Jinping will receive access and similar arrangements that Trump received during his visit to Beijing in May.
Additionally, one of the main concerns is the requests from companies and industry experts for U.S.-China cooperation in developing frameworks for the development and use of artificial intelligence. In this regard, the U.S. government has advised China to bring along entrepreneurs and executives.
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Source: npr.org
