Xi prepares China ‘for battle’ as expert warns of grave danger facing US ahead of DC summit

U.S.‑China Summit Set for September as Trump Faces Rising Concerns About China’s Intentions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, September 24, at the White House for a high‑stakes summit that will focus on artificial intelligence, trade and the broader relationship between the two superpowers. The visit comes just four months after the leaders last convened in May for a brief meeting that produced little in the way of new agreements.

Trump has said the upcoming visit will be the first U.S. president to meet Xi in more than a decade, but he has also warned that China is “spying” on the United States. In a statement released after a report that linked Chinese satellite imagery to an Iranian attack on a Jordanian airbase earlier this summer, Trump said China had provided Iran with “targeting data” that contributed to the deaths of three U.S. service members.

The Iran strike, which killed the U.S. soldiers in the Jordanian desert, was confirmed by the Wall Street Journal to have been aided by imagery supplied by Chinese entities. The incident has raised fresh questions about China’s role in regional conflicts and its willingness to share intelligence that can harm U.S. interests.

Expert Warns of “Very Dangerous” Period

Gordon Chang, a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute, took to Fox News Live on Sunday to describe the period as “very dangerous” and warned that Xi is “mulling a war” against the United States. Chang told the network:

“Xi Jinping keeps on talking about going to war against us… and also he's preparing China's society, civilian and military, for battle. And we think we're at peace. So, this is a very dangerous period for us.”

Chang said the Chinese government is conducting what he calls “unrestricted warfare,” including fentanyl trafficking, espionage and sabotage. He added that China’s military and civilian preparations for conflict have intensified in the face of a perceived U.S. decline, a belief he said is rooted in a Chinese narrative of inevitable victory.

“The moral dimension… that China is deliberately killing Americans,” Chang said. He urged President Trump to adopt a tougher stance on China, arguing that decades of open dialogue had only worsened the United States’ position.

Chang also noted that the Chinese leadership is currently experiencing internal turbulence within the Communist Party, which he said would make Xi reluctant to compromise. He said Xi “doesn’t believe the United States is on the way down” and that the Chinese leader is “arrogant” and “incorrectly believes that China's on the way up and the United States is on the way down.”

Summit Topics and Expectations

While Trump has not yet disclosed a full agenda for the September meeting, analysts anticipate a renewed focus on artificial intelligence and trade—topics that were briefly discussed in the May meeting but were largely shelved in favor of other issues. The U.S. is also hoping to address China’s continued technological competition and its influence over global supply chains.

According to experts, the summit is expected to be markedly different from the one held in May, largely because of the escalation of conflict in the Middle East and the rapid advancement in AI technologies. “The AI race has intensified, and the Middle East is more volatile,” said one analyst. “Both leaders are looking for ways to maintain influence in a rapidly shifting global landscape.”

Trump’s remarks about China “spying” on the United States come at a time when the Biden administration has highlighted concerns over Chinese espionage and the proliferation of fentanyl. The administration’s Office of National Drug Control Policy has identified China as a primary source of the opioid crisis in the U.S.

Chang also pointed out that, unlike former President Joe Biden’s 2023 meeting with Xi, Trump may not receive a better reception on AI, citing Xi’s unwillingness to compromise and his perception of the United States as a “terminal decline” entity. “Xi Jinping is facing a turbulent Communist Party at home, which means that he can’t compromise,” Chang said.

Broader Implications

The summit will be the first major U.S.‑China engagement under President Trump since the administration’s re‑assertion of a more confrontational stance on trade and technology. It will also be a test of Trump’s ability to navigate the complex web of strategic competition while maintaining diplomatic channels. The U.S. has long been wary of China’s growing military capabilities, especially in the South China Sea, as well as its increasing influence over key global partners.

Meanwhile, the U.S. intelligence community has reported that China continues to provide intelligence to adversaries, including Iran, raising concerns about potential future attacks. The Biden administration has been vocal about the need for stronger sanctions and diplomatic pressure to curb Chinese assistance to hostile actors.

What to Expect

Observers say the meeting will likely focus on:

• Artificial Intelligence: Negotiating norms and safeguards for dual‑use technologies, a key point of contention in U.S.–China tech policy.
• Trade: Addressing tariff disputes and supply‑chain dependencies that have been a point of friction since the 2018 trade war.
• Regional Security: Discussing U.S. military presence in the Indo‑Pacific, South China Sea disputes, and the stability of Taiwan.
• Counter‑Espionage: Addressing concerns about Chinese intelligence operations in the United States and the broader world.

Trump’s remarks about China “spying” on the United States could signal a pivot toward a more confrontational policy, while Xi’s insistence on no compromise might result in a dead‑end on several fronts.

The summit will conclude on the same day it is scheduled to begin—Thursday, September 24—when both leaders will hold joint press conferences and a bilateral summit that will be broadcast across multiple platforms. The U.S. public and global markets are watching closely, aware that the outcome could influence everything from trade negotiations to regional stability and technology governance.