A preliminary account published Sept. 27 said the first public readouts from Beijing and Washington after the September 2026 Xi Jinping–Donald Trump summit made no direct mention of U.S. semiconductor export controls. The early public accounts leave open whether Xi and Trump discussed the restrictions privately.

Early public readouts made no direct mention of chip controls

The preliminary account described the controls as a low-profile issue in the first public readouts. That speaks to the wording made public early in the summit process, not to what was said behind closed doors.

Most U.S. restrictions remained in place

Most U.S. semiconductor export restrictions remained in place during Xi’s visit. In the policy picture ahead of the summit, some Nvidia and AMD chip sales to China had been permitted, while efforts were being made to keep the more advanced B200 chips from reaching China through third countries. Nvidia H200 exports to China were subject to case-by-case licensing by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security.

China’s self-reliance was one possible explanation

China’s growing self-reliance in semiconductor production was raised as one possible reason the controls appeared to have little public prominence at the summit. It was a possible explanation, not an established cause.

Huang and Su sought renewed access to China

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD CEO Lisa Su attended the White House state dinner during the September visit. They were reported to be seeking renewed access to the Chinese market.

U.S. lawmakers pressed for tighter controls

On Sept. 2, before the summit, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he did not expect U.S. chip controls to be on the agenda. He cited China’s failure to use an earlier U.S. carveout.

On Sept. 23, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Elizabeth Warren urged Donald Trump not to weaken export controls. Warren argued that export policy should be set through legislation rather than summit negotiations involving technology executives. White House spokesperson Kush Desai defended the administration’s record, describing its export-control regime as rigorous and saying it remained committed to U.S. national and economic security.

Three Senate proposals addressed different parts of the restrictions:

  • Tom Cotton’s proposal would require location-tracking mechanisms on advanced chips and exporter notification if a product were diverted or tampered with.
  • A bill led by Pete Ricketts would direct the Commerce and State departments to work with allied suppliers on controls or licensing for semiconductor manufacturing equipment shipped to adversarial nations.
  • Jim Banks’s bill would codify an 18-month ban on exports of the most powerful AI chips to foreign adversaries and add certification and licensing requirements.

The proposals were being held within a defense authorization package delayed until after the elections.