For weeks now, President Donald Trump has been repeating a single date with unusual consistency: Sept. 24. That is when, he insists, Chinese President Xi Jinping will walk into the White House for the first state visit by a Chinese leader to the United States in more than a decade.

The machinery of diplomacy is visibly turning to make it happen. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers’ gathering in Manila last week, working to “identify areas of cooperation” and set the stage for what Rubio called a “very positive visit.” Deputy-level officials are reportedly shuttling between the capitals to iron out logistics.