Trump to Welcome Xi at Airport as Chinese President Arrives in US for State Visit
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Washington visit will feature White House talks, a state dinner and discussions on trade, artificial intelligence and rare earth minerals.
Washington: US President Donald Trump is set to personally welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews when the Chinese leader arrives near Washington next week for a high-profile state visit. The airport reception is an unusual gesture, as US presidents generally receive visiting foreign leaders at the White House rather than meeting them at the airport.
Xi’s visit will mark the first state visit to the United States by a Chinese leader in more than a decade. His last US state visit took place in September 2015, when Barack Obama was president. The upcoming trip is expected to combine ceremonial events with negotiations on several major economic and technology issues.
The main programme is scheduled for Thursday, when Trump and first lady Melania Trump will welcome Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at a formal ceremony inside the White House. Trump and Xi are also expected to participate in a military review in the Rose Garden before holding closed-door discussions.
While the two presidents conduct their talks, Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan are expected to take part in a separate engagement. Further details of that programme have not been publicly disclosed.
Xi and Peng will later attend a state dinner hosted by Trump and Melania Trump in the White House’s East Room. Trump has described the event as a highly sought-after gathering, with several prominent business and technology figures expected to attend.
The guest list includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser and former Apple CEO Tim Cook are also expected to attend.
The visit will also include informal engagements. Xi and Peng are scheduled to return to the White House on Friday for a private tea with Trump and Melania before visiting the National Archives. Xi is then expected to depart from Joint Base Andrews.
Trade and Technology Issues at Centre of Talks
Beyond the ceremonial events, trade and economic matters are expected to dominate the discussions between Washington and Beijing. US officials have indicated that the two countries could consider reducing tariffs on a limited range of non-strategic goods where both sides see potential benefits.
However, Washington is not expected to offer broader relief on export controls linked to rare earth minerals. These materials are widely used in consumer electronics, industrial equipment and defence-related technologies, making their supply an important issue in US-China economic negotiations.
Artificial intelligence is also expected to feature prominently in the discussions. Ahead of Xi’s arrival, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is scheduled to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York, with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also expected to participate in the economic and trade discussions.
The meetings come as Washington and Beijing continue efforts to manage trade and technology tensions. Rare earth supplies, tariffs and AI-related issues remain among the key areas of discussion between the two governments.
The visit will therefore bring together diplomacy, economic negotiations and high-profile ceremonial events as Trump and Xi prepare for direct talks in Washington.
