Donald Trump welcomed Xi Jinping on Wednesday evening, taking the unusual step of greeting the Chinese leader on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews to kick off his state visit to Washington.
Xi’s plane was met with a lavish arrival ceremony that included a 100ft long red carpet flanked by US service members, a military flyover by two B-1 bombers and a presentation of the flags and national anthems of both countries. US presidents typically welcome foreign leaders at the White House, but Trump and first lady Melania Trump traveled to the the military base in Maryland, just outside Washington, to personally shake Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan’s hands upon their arrival in the US.
It came as Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, announced that the US and China agreed on Wednesday to extend the so-called “Busan agreement” – a temporary trade truce between the world’s two biggest economies.
Bessent, who met Chinese vice-premier He Lifeng earlier on Wednesday, told Fox News the agreement would be extended until 10 January, two months after it was due to expire.
The pageantry will continue with a formal state welcome on the South Lawn of the White House, private tea with the US president and first lady, and a tour of the National Archives, among other special events.
The simmering trade war is one of many thorny issues Trump and Xi must confront during the visit, including the race in artificial intelligence development and geopolitical instability during the two-day visit.
On Thursday, the White House has invited major tech leaders, such as executives from OpenAI, Apple, xAI, Microsoft, Nvidia, Meta and others, to a state dinner being held for Xi.
There was one discordant note in the carefully orchestrated arrival ceremony, when Trump visibly winced at the sound of a US military jet flying overhead as he stood alongside Xi on the red carpet, listening to the US national anthem. Video of the moment showed that while Trump recoiled from the sound of the flyover, Xi remained impassive, as did the wives of both men.
The moment, which was widely mocked online, was captured on a White House livestream but not included in the edited highlights of the ceremony released by Trump’s aides later.
The US and China have long been competing to develop increasingly powerful technology, but the race to further AI has become a major topic among tech companies – especially after several executives came forward to warn about the dangers of rapid development.
Trump has dismissed concerns that AI development could harm people, instead promoting more investment in the technology so the US can beat China in the race.
“There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China. WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS! We are leading China, and all others, and will continue to do so,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.
The president and members of the administration have insisted that leading AI development also means leading the world militarily and economically – further raising the stakes for the US and China.
Xi’s visit is expected to be filled with ceremonial displays, reciprocating the treatment Trump received when he visited China earlier this year.
Trump’s decision to greet the Chinese leader at his plane, rather than at the White House, shows how far the US president is willing to go to honor Xi.
“He’s coming on our soil,” Melania Trump said of the visit to Fox & Friends on Wednesday morning, “and we need to welcome them with the most respect.”
Robert Mackey contributed reporting
