Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Wednesday and received a rare planeside welcome from U.S. President Donald Trump as top officials from the two countries agreed to extend their trade truce until January.
Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the extension — under which the United States and China agreed to reduce tariffs and refrain from imposing new trade restrictions — during an interview with Fox News Channel as Trump welcomed Xi at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.
“I don’t know whether a bigger deal can be done. I don’t know whether we will just roll the current deal,” Bessent said, noting that the extension until Jan. 10 could give the two leaders more time to discuss outstanding issues at international summits in China in November and Florida in December.
Trade remains one of the biggest points of tension between the two superpowers, along with artificial intelligence, Trump’s war with Iran and China’s ambitions regarding Taiwan.
Much of Xi’s three-day visit, however, is expected to focus on ceremonial elements, beginning with Trump’s decision to greet him as he arrived rather than waiting for him at the White House.
A 100-foot (30-meter) red carpet was laid at the bottom of the staircase leading from Xi’s plane. A 21-member honor guard stood along both sides of the carpet as Trump and first lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, with handshakes.
The welcome ceremony featured a flyover by two B-1 bombers, platoons representing each branch of the U.S. military and the presentation of the flags and national anthems of both countries.
Trump and Melania spoke with Xi and Peng, although their conversation could not be heard. Trump, wearing gloves and an overcoat despite the relatively warm 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius), removed one glove to shake Xi’s hand. At one point, he also patted Xi on the back and said something that was inaudible.
“I think they appreciate it, tremendous people,” Trump told reporters after returning to the White House Wednesday evening.
In a statement marking his arrival in the United States, Xi said China and the United States “should be partners, not rivals.”
He said achieving “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” and “making America great again” could go hand in hand, allowing the two countries to contribute to each other’s success and benefit the wider world.
Some Republicans question the optics of the visit
Trump has described Xi as a “great leader” and spoken warmly about his relationship with the Chinese president while seeking to maintain what he calls “strategic stability” between the two countries.
Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized what he called the “lavish welcome.” Wicker, R-Miss., said in a Senate speech Tuesday that Trump should not have invited Xi given what he described as the troubling issues involving the Chinese leader and the Chinese Communist Party.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended high-level engagement between Washington and Beijing, saying the two countries are “the two largest economies in the world” and “probably the two most powerful militaries in the world.”
Danny Russel, a former U.S. diplomat under President Barack Obama, said the elaborate airport ceremony could benefit Beijing’s messaging.
“Such extreme deference is valuable evidence that China’s leader is now held in extraordinarily high esteem by the President of the United States,” said Russel, now with the Asia Society Policy Institute. “Beijing uses this at home and internationally to show China’s — and Xi’s — growing stature.”
China had sought longer extension of trade truce
China had wanted a longer extension of the trade truce, which had been scheduled to expire Nov. 10.
“It underscores that the United States is still concerned about China’s full implementation of its commitments under the truce, particularly with respect to critical mineral exports and agricultural purchases,” said Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade negotiator and senior vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute.
The shorter extension gives Washington an opportunity to assess whether China fulfills outstanding commitments to purchase U.S. agricultural products, said Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
“This is less about buying two months of calm than making China earn the next extension,” he said.
Trump had not commented on the extension as of Wednesday. The two leaders are expected to hold more substantive discussions Thursday following a White House arrival ceremony and a review of troops.
They are also scheduled to exchange toasts at a black-tie dinner featuring technology industry leaders including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and SpaceX’s Elon Musk.
Trump seeks to welcome Xi with ‘the most respect’
Trump has made clear that he wants to impress Xi, saying in recent weeks that he was pleased his new “work of art” helicopter landing pad would be ready for the visit while expressing regret that his planned White House ballroom would not be completed in time.
“I wish we had it for tomorrow night,” Trump said again Wednesday.
Trump’s welcome was intended to match the pageantry he received during his visit to China earlier this year. Xi did not personally greet Trump at the airport in Beijing, where Chinese Vice President Han Zheng welcomed him instead.
A red carpet was rolled out for Air Force One, while a military honor guard, military band and about 300 Chinese youths carrying Chinese and American flags greeted Trump with chants of “Welcome, welcome! Warm welcome!”
Melania Trump said earlier Wednesday that her husband decided to personally greet Xi in the Washington area because “they have a great relationship.”
“He’s coming on our soil, and we need to welcome them with the most respect,” she said of Xi and Peng during an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.”
The long red carpet also recalled a similar extra-long carpet rolled out by the United States for Russian President Vladimir Putin when he arrived at a U.S. Air Force base in Alaska last summer for a summit aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
On Friday, Xi and Peng are scheduled to return to the White House for a private tea with Trump and Melania before joining them on a tour of the National Archives in Washington.
The White House said they will view historic documents highlighting the relationship between the United States and China.