China warns Trump on four red lines ahead of Xi's US visit

China’s ambassador to the US, Xie Feng, has outlined four “red lines” Washington must not cross ahead of President Xi Jinping’s three-day state visit, which begins Wednesday, covering Taiwan, human rights, China’s political system, and its development rights. In a People’s Daily op-ed, Xie said China’s “sovereignty, security, and development interests cannot be violated,” urging the US to stop using national security, economic imbalances, and forced labor as pretexts to constrain China. He called for healthy competition, including in AI, and said the “constructive and strategically stable” relationship agreed in May should be turned into reality. Xi arrives in Washington Wednesday for his first US state visit in 11 years, meeting Trump on Thursday, September 24. Trump will personally receive him at Joint Base Andrews, with a state dinner and military flyover planned, drawing criticism from some lawmakers, while Xi is expected to object to a proposed $11 billion US arms sale to Taiwan.