TRUMP HOSTS XI IN WASHINGTON FOR THREE DAYS

Thu 24 September 2026:

Rare airport welcome, tariff truce extended and a packed three-day agenda

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

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

Trump welcomes Xi to Washington as US, China agree to extend trade truce

Trump takes rare step of meeting foreign leader at the airport, underscoring the significance of US-China relationship. pic.twitter.com/Sn18XoRq8F

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) September 24, 2026

Red carpet, handshake and anthems

The president and First Lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, 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.

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Xi: China and the US should be partners, not rivals

In a written statement after his arrival, Xi told Trump that China and the US should be partners and not rivals, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. “He said that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand, complement each other and benefit the world,” Xinhua added.

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 several decades has transformed it into a global superpower capable of rivalling the US.

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 strong ties with China.

As Donald Trump receives Xi Jinping, an American B-1 bomber flies low over the two leaders, causing a huge noise that startles the American president. pic.twitter.com/uZqBFANT3Z

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) September 24, 2026

State dinner, White House military honours and Archives visit

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 likely to include discussion of issues 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.

Busan tariff deal stretched to January 10

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that the US and China have agreed to extend the 11-month deal that offered temporary relief from punishing tariffs between the two countries.

Bessent told Fox News that he met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng ahead of Xi’s visit to “see if we could do a bigger deal as opposed to just a series of smaller things”.

“We have agreed today that we will extend what we call the Busan Agreement,” he said.

The agreement, which was set to expire on November 10, has now been extended to January 10, he added.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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