US President Donald Trump has welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping with a rare personal airport greeting at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, kicking off a three-day, pomp-filled state visit aimed at managing superpower friction over trade, artificial intelligence, and Iran.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump shook hands with Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan on the tarmac as a military honour guard stood in formation alongside six F-22 and six F-16 fighter jets, accompanied by a flyover of two B-1 bombers.
The personal airport greeting—a rare protocol last extended to a non-papal foreign leader decades ago—marks Xi's first state visit to the US capital in over a decade.
Extended trade truce
Ahead of Thursday's bilateral meetings and Rose Garden military review, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that Washington and Beijing have agreed to extend their trade war truce from November 10 to January 10.
Talks between Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng also addressed preliminary communication channels for AI safety.
When the leaders convene on Thursday, discussions are expected to centre on trade measures, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence, amid mounting global concerns over unregulated technological acceleration.
Trump confirmed his summit agenda includes "a lot of different deals", pointing out that past US tariffs reached 145 percent before being lowered.
Prominent US tech executives, including Tim Cook, Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, and Sam Altman, are scheduled to attend Thursday evening's White House state banquet in the East Room.
The state visit concludes Friday with a joint visit to the National Archives.
