MAY 14: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping participate in a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on May 14, 2026 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kenny Holston-Pool/
Chinese President Xi Jinping is arriving in Washington Wednesday for a high-profile state visit as the United States and China navigate disputes over trade, artificial intelligence, Iran and other issues shaping the relationship between the world’s two largest economies.
President Donald Trump is expected to personally greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday before the Chinese leader attends an official State Arrival Ceremony at the White House Thursday. The visit will also include meetings and a state dinner.
Former White House economic adviser Steve Moore joined The National News Desk ahead of the visit to discuss what he will be watching when the two leaders meet.
“This is the battle of the two superpowers,” Moore said.
Trade is expected to feature prominently in the discussions. The two countries are operating under a tariff truce set to expire in November, while artificial intelligence, rare earth minerals, Taiwan and China’s relationship with Iran are also expected to be on the agenda.
Moore said Trump’s approach to China has long centered on concerns over the country’s trade practices and economic competition with the United States.
“I think that Trump will be very tough with Xi,” Moore said. “They’re still not playing by the rules when it comes to trade. We still run a huge trade deficit with China.”
Beyond trade, Moore said the rapidly developing competition over artificial intelligence could become one of the most consequential issues facing the two countries.
“The other issue, if you look at that picture on your screen, it’s going to be about artificial intelligence, the technology age,” Moore said. “Will the United States continue to dominate the AI space the way we did with respect to the internet?”
The U.S. and China are competing aggressively in AI development, while restrictions on advanced technology and China’s control over portions of the critical-minerals supply chain have added another layer of tension to the economic relationship. AI risks and technological competition are expected to feature in the Trump-Xi discussions.
“We have to dominate,” Moore said. “Artificial intelligence is coming. It is coming rapidly.”
Moore framed the competition as both an economic and national security issue and argued the United States should prioritize maintaining its technological advantage.
“We have to win this arms race in artificial intelligence,” Moore said.
Iran is another major issue hanging over the talks.
China’s economic relationship with Tehran has taken on greater significance amid the continuing conflict involving the United States and Iran and disruptions to global energy markets. Trump and Xi are expected to discuss Iran during their meetings, along with its impact on energy supplies and the global economy.
The interview also turned to rising oil and gasoline prices and their impact on American consumers.
Moore argued that keeping oil prices elevated above $100 per barrel for an extended period would place additional pressure on household budgets.
“If it stays over $100 a barrel, you’re talking about $4 to $4.25 a gallon at the pump,” Moore said.
Oil prices have been hovering around $100 amid disruptions tied to the Iran conflict and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, although prices remain volatile.
Moore also weighed in on proposals to restrict U.S. oil exports as policymakers search for ways to bring domestic energy costs down.
“There’s a lot of talk about an oil export ban,” Moore said. “I think it’s terrible. It’s not going to solve the problem, and it’s only going to clog up the whole world energy situation.”
Moore argued that restoring more reliable flows of oil from the Middle East would do more to relieve pressure on global prices.
“The only solution is to get the oil flowing again from the Middle East,” Moore said.
The conversation then shifted from global economic competition to a longer-term demographic concern: declining marriage rates and the number of younger Americans who remain unmarried.
Moore called the trend one of the country’s most serious social and economic challenges.
“I think this is the greatest crisis in America today,” Moore said. “First of all, marriage rates are way, way down.”
Census data show a substantial share of American adults have never married, including more than 51 million men in the 2024 American Community Survey, although that figure covers adult men across age groups and does not establish the specific claim made during the interview that more than 30 million single men are under 40.
Moore argued that declining rates of marriage and family formation can have broader economic and social consequences.
“It’s all about love, marriage and having children, and that’s not happening,” Moore said. “It is bad for our country. It’s bad for our economy.”
He said he has encouraged Trump to create a bipartisan commission examining declining marriage rates and family formation.
“I’ve asked Donald Trump to have a national bipartisan commission on how to raise marriage rates and child rearing in this country,” Moore said.
Moore also said the country has “negative population growth right now,” but the latest completed Census Bureau estimates do not support that characterization.
The U.S. population increased by approximately 1.8 million people, or 0.5%, between July 2024 and July 2025, reaching about 341.8 million. That was a significant slowdown from the previous year, driven largely by a sharp decline in net international migration, but it remained positive population growth. Natural increase — births minus deaths — also remained positive at roughly 519,000.
Moore connected declining marriage and family formation with another issue he has previously discussed on The National News Desk: younger men who are disconnected from the workforce.
“They’re not working. They’re not married. They don’t have kids,” Moore said. “That’s a prescription for disaster.”
The wide-ranging discussion comes as Trump prepares to host Xi for talks that could have consequences well beyond Washington, with trade, artificial intelligence, energy and the Middle East among the issues linking U.S.-China relations to the broader American economy.
The White House says Trump and first lady Melania Trump will formally welcome Xi and first lady Peng Liyuan Thursday morning, followed by a state dinner that evening. The visit is scheduled to conclude Friday.
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