A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
Photo: The White House · Public domain
习近平十一年来首访华盛顿：隆重欢迎、一对大熊猫，和延长两个月的贸易休战
Xi's First Washington Visit in 11 Years: Pageantry, a Pair of Pandas and a Two-Month Trade Truce
About this story
Chinese President Xi Jinping's three-day state visit to Washington (Sept 23–25, 2026) returned Donald Trump's May trip to Beijing. Trump met him at the plane; Xi said AI must stay under human control and competition should be a race, not a wrestling match; a harpist played 'The Moon Represents My Heart' at the state dinner. China's foreign ministry listed eight points, including a two-month trade-truce extension, an AI dialogue and incident hotline, and two pandas loaned to Zoo Atlanta — while US analysts called it big on spectacle, light on substance. Chinese listening practice at four levels. HSK 3 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 3 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 12 key vocabulary words such as 竞争、关系、重要 and walks through 3 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.
Read at your level
原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
From September 23 to 25, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a three-day state visit to the United States.
It was his first formal visit to Washington in eleven years.
In May, US President Trump had just visited Beijing; this time, Xi was returning the visit.
The leaders of China and the US visiting each other within a single year had never happened before.
Xi's plane landed at an air force base near Washington, and Trump and his wife came to the airport in person to greet him.
It's rare for an American president to meet a foreign leader at the airport.
The next day, the White House held a welcome ceremony, and both leaders gave speeches.
Trump said that he and Xi share a truly great friendship.
Xi said China and the US are different, but as long as they talk candidly, they can understand each other better.
On artificial intelligence, he said both countries should keep AI under human control at all times.
He also offered a comparison: competition between the two countries should be like a race, each chasing the other, everyone running forward.
It shouldn't be like a gladiator fight, where one side wins and the other loses.
That evening the White House held a state banquet, attended by many bosses of American tech companies.
Before the banquet began, a harpist played the Chinese song "The Moon Represents My Heart," because the Mid-Autumn Festival was near.
On the third day, the two leaders had tea together and then visited the National Archives to see documents from America's founding.
Trump joked that America's history is two hundred and fifty years, and China's is six thousand.
So what actually came out of these three days?
China's foreign ministry published an eight-point consensus; let's look at the most important points.
First, trade.
Last year, China and the US reached a trade truce, and that arrangement was due to expire in November.
The US Treasury Secretary said the truce would be extended by two months, to January 10 next year.
Second, artificial intelligence.
The two sides agreed to set up an AI dialogue, with the next round this November.
They'll also set up a communication channel, so if an AI incident happens, the two countries can contact each other right away.
Third, giant pandas.
China is lending a pair of giant pandas to the zoo in Atlanta, in the US.
The two leaders also agreed to meet twice more this year: in Shenzhen, China, in November, and in Miami in the US in December.
Still, many American analysts think the visit was grand in ceremony but short on important new agreements.
On issues like Taiwan and Iran, the two countries remain far apart.
How important do you think a friendship between two leaders is for the relationship between their countries?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 3. 两国的竞争，应该像赛跑.
HSK 3. 两国领导人之间的友谊，对两个国家的关系有多重要？
HSK 2. 我们说其中最重要的几点.
HSK 2. 特朗普和夫人亲自到机场迎接.
HSK 2. 美国的历史有两百五十年.
HSK 2. 白宫举行了欢迎仪式.
一段真正伟大的友谊.
让人工智能一直在人的控制之下.
这次访问仪式很隆重.
HSK 4. 贸易休战，会再延长两个月.
重要的新协议很少.
两国的分歧还是很大.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法只要……，就……
As long as X, then Y.
习近平说，中美两国不一样，但是只要坦诚地对话，就能更了解对方。
一旦……，……
Once / in case something happens.
他们还要建立一个沟通渠道，一旦人工智能出了事故，两国可以马上联系。
……，但是……很少
Concedes one point, then limits it.
不过，美国不少分析人士认为，这次访问仪式很隆重，但是重要的新协议很少。
Proper Nouns
专有名词Free account
Keep learning from this story
Create a free account to keep saved words and your preferred level together.
- Keep words with their story context
- Remember your preferred level
- Build your vocabulary over time