JOINT BASE ANDREWS, September 24 — The story begins on a windswept Maryland tarmac, where the two most powerful men in the world met not in a summit hall but at the foot of an aircraft staircase. US President Donald Trump personally greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday evening, welcoming Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan with a military flyover and a 100ft (30m) red carpet to open a three-day summit in Washington. Xi’s Air China plane touched down at 17:39 local time (22:39 BST).
A colour and honour guard marched to the aircraft and stood on both sides of the red carpet as two limousines pulled up. Xi and Peng exited the plane and the two couples shook hands, spoke briefly, then walked side by side down the red carpet and posed for photos.
Two B-1 supersonic bombers, a key part of the US combat arsenal, flew over as the US Air Force band played the US national anthem. After exchanging pleasantries, the two couples departed in separate vehicles to Washington.
A greeting reserved for history
First Lady Melania Trump joined the greeting. She has said she was involved intimately with planning the itinerary and told Fox News that Trump decided to greet Xi himself at the airport “because they have a great relationship”. This is the first time since 1962 that a US president has personally welcomed a foreign leader at the base, when then-President John F Kennedy greeted British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan — a signal of the importance Trump is giving the visit.
The high-stakes trip is Xi’s first to Washington since 2015 and is expected to include closed-door meetings, a state dinner, and discussions spanning AI, the Iran war and Taiwan, and an extended trade truce.
Trade truce extended
Also on Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced after meeting Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng that the US and China will extend their trade truce to January. The agreement, which saw Trump lower tariff rates on some goods in exchange for Xi loosening restrictions on rare earth minerals, had been set to expire 10 November. Bessent said the two discussed whether a more substantive trade deal can eventually be reached.
In a written statement published by China’s state news agency Xinhua, Xi said both China and the US are “great nations, and their people are great people”, adding: “The two countries should be partners rather than rivals.” The visit comes as the world’s two largest economies manage a fragile trade truce and a broad agenda of strategic disputes. What unfolds over the next three days — behind closed doors and at the state dinner table — will shape the terms of that relationship for months to come.
