Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump personally welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, opening a three-day state visit focused on easing tensions between the world’s two largest economies over trade, artificial intelligence and the war in Iran.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, after the Chinese president stepped off his aircraft at the US military base outside Washington. The leaders shook hands and stood together on the tarmac as a military band performed.
The arrival ceremony was accompanied by a military flyover, underscoring the scale of the welcome being extended to Xi during his first U.S. state visit in more than a decade.
The White House has planned an elaborate schedule for Xi’s visit, including a formal state arrival ceremony Thursday, a military review, a state dinner and further meetings between the two presidential couples. The visit will conclude Friday with tea at the White House and a trip to the National Archives.
Trump’s decision to personally greet Xi at the airport is highly unusual for a U.S. president. It comes months after Trump traveled to China in May for talks with Xi.
The elaborate welcome, however, comes against the backdrop of deep disagreements between Washington and Beijing. Expectations for a major breakthrough remain limited, with both sides seeking to manage tensions and preserve a fragile improvement in relations rather than resolve their most difficult disputes.
AI race takes center stage
Artificial intelligence is expected to feature prominently in Trump’s talks with Xi as Washington and Beijing compete for technological leadership.
US and Chinese officials have discussed establishing channels for communication on AI-related risks. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held talks ahead of Xi’s arrival, with AI security and broader economic issues among the subjects under discussion.
The issue has taken on added significance as both countries race to develop increasingly powerful AI systems while restricting access to strategic technologies.
Top technology executives are also expected to attend Thursday’s White House state dinner, including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Apple’s Tim Cook, Tesla’s Elon Musk and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang.
Trade truce under pressure
Trade will remain another major issue as Trump and Xi seek to extend a fragile economic truce between Washington and Beijing.
The two countries have moved away from the broad tariff confrontation that defined much of their earlier relationship, but disputes over technology, critical minerals, market access and strategic industries remain unresolved.
Analysts cited by international media have cautioned against expecting a sweeping agreement from the summit. Instead, the talks are widely viewed as an effort to maintain dialogue and prevent the relationship from deteriorating further.
Rare presidential welcome
American presidents rarely travel to an airport to personally receive visiting foreign leaders.
Trump previously made a similar gesture when he welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last year. The Andrews welcome for Xi therefore stands out as an unusually personal diplomatic gesture.
The White House has described Xi’s visit as a significant milestone in U.S.-China relations. Thursday’s formal ceremony will feature hundreds of U.S. military personnel, national flags of both countries, military performances and a flyover involving US aircraft.
The pageantry surrounding the visit is expected to contrast sharply with the difficult issues awaiting the two leaders behind closed doors.
For Trump and Xi, the immediate objective is likely to keep competition between Washington and Beijing from escalating into another full-scale confrontation while preserving channels for negotiations on trade, technology and other areas of strategic importance.
