Washington: US President Donald Trump gave Chinese President Xi Jinping a rare airport welcome, as Washington announced a two-month extension of its trade truce with Beijing.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump met Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday evening (local time). A red carpet, military honour guard and flyover marked the start of the Chinese leader’s state visit. US presidents usually receive visiting heads of state at the White House.
Shortly after Xi arrived, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the two countries had agreed to extend a trade arrangement due to expire on November 10, according to The New York Times.
The extension runs until January 10.
The arrangement involves the United States suspending certain tariffs and restrictions while China maintains supplies of rare earth minerals used by American manufacturers, The Times reported.
Bessent told Fox News the extension would “give us more time to see what we can do on the economic front”.
The announcement gave the visit an early result before Trump and Xi held their main talks. It did not resolve their wider disputes over trade, technology and security.
Xi’s aircraft landed shortly before 6 p.m. US personnel rolled out the red carpet. The two presidents and their wives shook hands and stood for the national anthems. Two B-1 bombers flew overhead during the ceremony.
The Times reported that Trump smiled and patted Xi on the shoulder as they walked along the carpet. Presidents rarely greet foreign leaders at Joint Base Andrews, making the reception an unusual start to the visit.
Back at the White House, Trump told reporters, “We have a packed house tomorrow night for President Xi,” The Post reported. A state dinner is planned for Thursday. The programme also includes a White House welcome ceremony and a planned visit to the National Archives.
The leaders are expected to discuss artificial intelligence, investment and their countries’ economic competition. Bessent has raised the possibility of a system for notifying each other about AI incidents with national security implications, according to The Times. He said he believed China was willing to engage, but no such system has been announced.
Iran and Taiwan also hang over the meetings. Trump said he would discuss China’s involvement with Iran, The Post reported. Xi is expected to press Washington on its approach to Taiwan, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Neither issue was settled by the trade-truce extension.
The Journal reported that officials from both countries had spent weeks negotiating the form of Xi’s reception. It said the harder questions, including advanced technology and geopolitical influence, remained largely untouched in those preparations.
The welcome has also drawn criticism in Washington. Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he hoped Trump would press Xi on China’s military buildup and its support for Iran, according to The Times.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the decision to meet, saying the two powers must deal with each other despite their disagreements.
Trump visited Beijing in May, and the two governments have since continued discussions on tariffs, agricultural trade, rare earth supplies and AI. Their latest agreement keeps the existing trade arrangement in place through January 10 while negotiations continue.
Xi’s visit is scheduled to run through Friday. The leaders’ main meetings were still ahead when Bessent announced the extension, leaving the outcome of the broader talks open.
(IANS)
