Donald Trump personally welcomed his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at Andrews Air Force Base, marking the start of the Chinese President’s three-day visit to the United States. The move departed from protocol, as US presidents rarely go to the airport to welcome a foreign leader.
Xi arrived on Wednesday, at approximately 00:40 on Thursday Cyprus time. The Air China aircraft landed at Andrews Base, near Washington, where a 21-man honour guard, fighter aircraft and a red carpet had been arranged in his honour.
Cannon fire was heard during the ceremony and the national anthems of the two countries were played by an Air Force band. Donald Trump, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, shook hands with Xi Jinping, who travelled with his wife, Peng Liyuan.
The two couples walked along the red carpet, with the two leaders at the front. The welcome ceremony also included a flyover by military aircraft, including a formation of B-1 bombers and F-22 fighter jets, in a particularly spectacular display.
The two leaders then departed separately and are expected to meet at the White House, where a new welcoming ceremony with military honours has been scheduled.
Alongside Xi’s arrival, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the economic de-escalation between Washington and Beijing would be extended. “We agreed today to extend the economic de-escalation between our two countries, which was due to end on November 10, so that we have more time to see what we can do on the economic level,” he told Fox News.
The trade truce is now expected to last until January 10, 2027. In October 2025, the two superpowers had agreed to suspend the exchange of tariffs and trade-restrictive measures that had shaken the global economy.
The talks are expected to address bilateral trade relations, tariffs and Chinese rare earths. Security issues linked to advances in artificial intelligence are also expected to be discussed, along with international armed conflicts, including the conflict between the US and Iran and the war between Russia and Ukraine. Beijing is Tehran’s most important economic ally.
US support for Taiwan is also expected to be discussed.
A military parade has been scheduled as part of the visit, while Donald Trump will host an official dinner in honour of Xi Jinping. Guests include senior executives from multinational companies, among them OpenAI chief Sam Altman, Nvidia chief Jensen Huang and the head of Tesla, X and SpaceX, Elon Musk.
This is Xi’s first visit to the US since 2023, when he travelled to California for the APEC summit and met then-President Joe Biden. It is also his first visit to the White House in nearly a decade.
The meeting will be Xi’s third direct encounter with Trump since the latter returned to the presidency. The two leaders may meet twice more during the year, at the APEC summit in China and the G20 summit in Florida. Donald Trump had invited Xi to the White House during his visit to Beijing in May.
The agreement signed on Tuesday between the US, Denmark and Greenland on the US military presence on the Arctic island may also cast a shadow over the talks. The Trump administration cites US “national interests” and argues that Russia and China would like to “control” Greenland, while Copenhagen was unable to prevent such a prospect.
Xi Jinping said, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, that he looked forward to discussing the “major issues” and the “global situation” with his US counterpart.
“I am pleased at the prospect of having in-depth discussions with President Trump on the key issues concerning our bilateral relations and the global situation,” he said.
The Chinese President again spoke in favour of cooperation with the US. “Our two countries should be partners rather than rivals,” he said, adding that the Chinese and American peoples have long benefited from friendly exchanges and that their interests are closely linked.
Source: CNA
