Trump offers warm welcome as China's Xi arrives for US visit

ByBernd Debusmann, Reporting fromAndrews Air Force Base and Nardine Saad.

Key points

• The leader of Chinese Communist Party touched down in an Air China plane at 17: 39 local time (22: 39 BST).
• Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcomed Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday evening in Maryland.
• US President Donald Trump has greeted his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping with a military flyover and 100ft (30m) red carpet to kick off their three-day summit in Washington.
• A recent poll by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs indicated that 41% of Americans see China's territorial ambitions as a threat to the US.
• In 1962, then-President John F Kennedy greeted British PM Harold Macmillan.

ByBernd Debusmann, Reporting fromAndrews Air Force Base and Nardine Saad. 24 September 2026, 03: 36 BST. Updated 6 hours ago.

In a rare move, Trump welcomed Xi's entourage at the airport as the US Air Force band marched on the tarmac and US and Chinese flags flew.

In practice, the high-stakes visit – Xi's first trip to Washington since 2015 – is projected to include closed-door meetings, a state dinner, and plenty to discuss, from AI, to the Iran war and Taiwan, and an extended trade truce.

Meanwhile, the leader of Chinese Communist Party touched down in an Air China plane at 17: 39 local time (22: 39 BST). The colour and honour guard marched up to the aircraft and stood on both sides of the red carpet as two limos pulled up.

Xi and Peng exited their plane and the two couples shook hands. They spoke briefly before walking side by side down the red carpet and posing for photos.

Two B-1s flew over as the Army Air Force Band played the US national anthem. The supersonic aircraft are a key part of the US's combat arsenal.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two couples departed in separate vehicles to Washington.

This is the first time since 1962 that a US president has personally welcomed a foreign leader at the base, signalling the importance that Trump is giving this visit. In 1962, then-President John F Kennedy greeted British PM Harold Macmillan.

Additionally on Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled 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, was set to expire 10 November.

Bessent, who spoke after session Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, stated the two discussed if there can eventually be a more substantive trade accord between the two countries.

In a written statement published by China's state news agency Xinhua, Xi remarked both China and the US are "great nations, and their people are great people". "The two countries should be partners rather than rivals, " he remarked.

Melania Trump has remarked she has been involved intimately with the planning of the itinerary. She informed Fox News that Trump produced the decision to personally greet Xi himself at the airport "because they have a great relationship".

As well as other delegates and ambassadors from Beijing, xi is accompanied on the visit by Cai Qi, a member of the party's Politburo Standing Committee who's widely seen as his right-hand man, Vice Premier He Lifeng, Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

"Realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can fully coexist, reinforce each other and benefit the world, " Xi remarked in the statement carried by Xinhua, where he additionally expressed confident that the visit would "yield fruitful results".

It is unclear if Xi has brought any business executives with him. Bringing Chinese firms to the US may additionally raise questions concerning Chinese business practices, subsidies and overcapacity, all of which may draw more fire and questions than Xi or his party would like.

During Trump's visit to Beijing in May, he was accompanied by a group of tech executives from some of the largest US firms, including Apple's Tim Cook, Tesla's Elon Musk and Nvidia's Jensen Huang.

Leaders of US AI firms are slated to attend the lavish state dinner set for Thursday. Xi's visit will end on Friday.

Trump has dismissed recent warnings regarding the potential dangers of AI from within the industry as a "hoax" and both countries are racing to try to achieve dominance in the sector.

Trump will aim to achieve other deals around trade and tariffs – like lowering Chinese tariffs on American products, increasing imports of Chinese rare earth minerals, and increasing exports of US agricultural products, according to David Firestein of the Bush China Foundation.

But China appears to have reneged on promises to purchase more American agricultural products and to sell more rare earth minerals to the US.

Firestein expects Xi to encourage Trump to further stall – or kill – a congressionally approved $14bn (£10.5bn)-arms sale to Taiwan and deepen US-China trade integration.

These are the same US-China problems for the ages, he stated, but, this time, "there seems to be a greater degree of, let's say, stability within the relationship, or less volatility relative to where we were last year in 2025".

Xi's visit comes at a time when American attitudes towards China appear to be warming.

Meanwhile, a recent poll by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs indicated that 41% of Americans see China's territorial ambitions as a threat to the US. That number is down from 52% in 2022.

More than half of Americans – 57% – believe the US should cooperate and engage with Beijing. Notably, that statistic cuts throughout the US political spectrum.

As do most Democrats, both moderate and liberal, of Republicans who do not identify as Maga, 57% favour cooperation.

Nevertheless most of Trump's loyal base – 63% – favour limiting US relations with China, putting them at odds with his warm welcome of Xi.

Aside from the arrival ceremonies at the White House, Melania Trump has additionally planned a visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art to show her Chinese counterpart the cultural connections between the two countries.

Notably, the landmark visit will end on a historical note at the National Archives building where the couples will view significant records including those of "significance to the American and Chinese relationship, " the White House has stated. With extra reporting from Brandon Drenon.

In short, trump offers warm welcome as China' s Xi arrives for US visit is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.