The latest summit looks set to focus on the same set of issues again. The main difference will be that the technology element has been given added urgency by the sudden and rapid shift in developments in artificial intelligence. What’s less clear is whether the two sides will be able to come to any sort of transformative agreement on that, or any other issue.
The most urgent issue, but also the simplest to solve, will be on trade. Nearly a year ago at Busan in South Korea, Trump and Xi hammered out an agreement whereby the US agreed to lift some export controls on high-end technology and to reduce the then three-figure tariffs on Chinese goods. For its part, China agreed not to restrict the flow of critical minerals and rare earths to US users.