US President Donald Trump has rolled out an unusually grand welcome for Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
This has set the stage for a three-day summit aimed at managing tensions between the world’s two biggest economies.
Xi arrived at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, where Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted him and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on a 100ft red carpet.
A US military band played and two B-1 bombers flew overhead.
Why so much ceremony? Xi’s visit is his first to Washington in more than a decade.
Beijing Signals Cooperation
Trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and Iran are among the major issues on the table.
There was already one concrete development. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington and Beijing had agreed to extend their trade truce until January.
This avoided an immediate return to higher tariffs.
Xi said the two countries “should be partners rather than rivals”, signalling an emphasis on cooperation despite their continuing disagreements.
The meetings will test whether the warm welcome can translate into practical agreements.
With trade, technology and security all in play, the red carpet may be ceremonial but the negotiations ahead are anything but simple.
