In a striking departure from diplomatic convention, President Donald Trump personally greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews near Washington on Wednesday, marking the start of a high-profile three-day state visit. American presidents almost never travel to the airport to receive foreign leaders, making the gesture a deliberate and highly symbolic overture to Beijing.
A Ceremony of Unusual Pomp
Air China’s presidential aircraft touched down at the military base, where service members in full dress uniform stood in formation and fighter jets lined the tarmac in honor of the visiting delegation. Trump, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, shook hands with Xi, who was traveling with his wife, Peng Liyuan. The two couples then walked the red carpet together for a brief arrival ceremony.
As part of the display, two American B-1 bombers conducted a flyover of the base. The supersonic aircraft, among the most advanced in the U.S. military arsenal, are renowned for the deafening roar they produce in flight. But it was Trump himself who bore the brunt of the noise, visibly grimacing on camera as the jets passed overhead, while Xi remained entirely impassive.
Following the elaborate reception, the two leaders departed separately. “It was a great welcome, and I think they appreciated it,” Trump told reporters.
‘Partners Rather Than Rivals’
The state visit formally begins Thursday, when Trump is expected to once again roll out the red carpet for his Chinese counterpart. A grand arrival ceremony is planned at the White House, complete with a military parade and fighter jet flyovers, followed by a gala dinner hosted by Melania Trump.
While few expect the visit to yield major diplomatic breakthroughs, several contentious issues are certain to be on the agenda. Trump indicated that the war against Iran, a Chinese ally, would be among the topics discussed. “I’ll bring that up and many other things, but everything is going well, including that,” the American president said, shortly after announcing a resumption of dialogue with Tehran.
Xi struck an equally positive tone, saying he looked forward to “in-depth exchanges with President Trump on major issues concerning our bilateral relations and the global situation.”
“Our two countries should be partners rather than rivals,” Xi said in a statement published by the official Xinhua news agency just hours after his arrival in Washington.
Trade Truce Extended
Perhaps the most significant outcome of the encounter was settled before it even began. As anticipated, the United States and China agreed to extend their trade truce until January 10, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
“We agreed to extend the economic détente between our two countries, which was set to expire on November 10, to give ourselves more time to see what we can accomplish economically,” Bessent told Fox News.
The two superpowers had agreed in October 2025 to halt an escalating cycle of tariffs and restrictive trade measures that had rattled the global economy. The truce, however, has not resolved all the disputes between the two nations, which remain locked in a wide-ranging rivalry spanning economics, technology, military affairs, and strategic influence.
Tech Leaders to Attend Gala Dinner
The race for artificial intelligence will also loom over the meetings, though no substantive progress is expected. The White House has recruited some of the biggest names in American technology for Thursday’s gala dinner, including OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, and Elon Musk of Tesla, SpaceX, and X.
On Friday, Donald and Melania Trump will host their guests for tea at the White House before accompanying them on a visit to the National Archives in Washington.
The visit marks Xi’s first to the White House in more than a decade and his third meeting with Trump since the American president returned to power last year. Two further encounters could follow before the end of the year, at the APEC summit in China and the G20 in Florida.
