The stakes are high, but expectations are low ahead of the highly anticipated summit between Trump and Xi next week.
The two met in Beijing in May, and on that occasion Xi was invited for a return visit to the White House. The date is set for Sept. 24.
The White House announced on Thursday that Trump will receive Xi at Andrews Air Force Base, and that the US military honour guard will then wait at the White House's new helipad.
Trump was received by China's vice president during his visit to the country this spring, and the visit was surrounded by lavish pomp and circumstance.
Ahead of the meeting, the US State Department announced that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio about, among other things, the situation in the Middle East.
