During U.S. President Donald Trump's recent visit to China, chip export controls were notably absent from the agenda of the Trump-Xi summit, despite expectations that critical minerals and market access for U.S. tech companies would be key discussion points [1]. The U.S. delegation included prominent tech leaders such as Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook, and executives from Meta, Micron, Qualcomm, and Coherent, highlighting the importance of technology in the bilateral talks [1].
Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled openness to U.S. businesses, and U.S. executives had the opportunity to present their cases directly to both presidents. However, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer confirmed that 'chip export controls' were not discussed at the bilateral meeting, a significant omission given the ongoing tensions over advanced technology exports [1].
Despite the lack of official discussion, Reuters reported that Washington had cleared sales of Nvidia's H200 AI chips to several major Chinese technology firms, though this was not directly addressed in the summit. Heidi Crebo-Rediker, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, noted that a licensing deal for Nvidia's H200 chips would be 'politically explosive' and could provoke a 'fierce backlash from China hawks' in Congress [1]. On the Chinese side, there is reluctance to rely on U.S. chips, with Greer stating that China is 'very committed to domestic production' and often views U.S. high tech as a threat to its own growth [1].
Another major topic was U.S. access to critical and rare earth minerals, where China maintains significant market control. Beijing's dominance in this sector was a factor in its retaliation against U.S. tariffs in 2025, which included curbing some exports before a trade truce was established. The current agreement on rare earths is set to expire in the fall, and its extension remains uncertain, according to Greer [1].
CONCLUSION
The Trump-Xi summit did not resolve key issues around chip export controls or secure a new deal on rare earth minerals, leaving significant uncertainty for U.S. tech companies. While some progress was made in terms of dialogue and market access, the lack of concrete agreements means ongoing risks for both U.S. and Chinese technology sectors.