Trump greets China’s Xi Jinping on arrival for three-day US trip

United States President Donald Trump has welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping as he arrived in the US for a three-day trip focused on problems such as security, trade and technology.

Key points

• An 11-month accord that offered temporary relief from punishing tariffs between the two countries is due to expire on November 10.
• Trump and Xi then walked side by side, flanked by US soldiers, before standing for a gunfire salute and the US national anthem.
• But both countries remain wary of the other as they compete for political and economic influence.

Trump took the rare step of session the Chinese leader in person at Joint Base Andrews in the state of Maryland on Wednesday, the first president to do so in recent memory.

Notably, the US president and First Lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and his wife on the tarmac during a welcoming ceremony, where a red carpet was rolled out and the couples exchanged handshakes. Trump and Xi then walked side by side, flanked by US soldiers, before standing for a gunfire salute and the US national anthem.

For context, the in-person greeting is a sign of the significance that Washington ascribes to its relationship with Beijing, whose meteoric economic rise over the last a number of decades has transformed it into a global superpower capable of rivalling the United States.

Despite tense relations that worsened after the Trump administration placed high tariffs on Chinese goods – a move that was met with retaliatory measures from Beijing – Trump has expressed personal affinity for Xi and his desire for solid ties with China.

In practice, the Chinese president's trip to the US will include a state dinner, attended by leaders of the country's powerful tech industry, a military ceremony at the White House, and a visit to the National Archives, home to documents of historical and cultural significance such as the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

But both countries remain wary of the other as they compete for political and economic influence. The trip is projected to include discussion of matters such as the US war on Iran, trade, technology, rare-earth minerals and US ties to Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory.

For context, an 11-month accord that offered temporary relief from punishing tariffs between the two countries is due to expire on November 10.

Taken together, the developments around trump greets China's Xi Jinping on arrival for three point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.