United States President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington, DC, for a three-day visit focused on trade, Taiwan, and artificial intelligence. Xi arrived at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, coinciding with the announcement that the two countries have agreed to extend an 11-month trade deal that temporarily alleviated tariffs. Trump personally greeted Xi, marking the first time in 11 years that a US president has welcomed a foreign leader at the base.
During the arrival ceremony, both leaders and their wives engaged in brief discussions and posed for photographs as a military band performed and a B-1 bomber flew overhead. Xi stated, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency, that China and the US should act as partners rather than rivals, suggesting that the goals of revitalizing China and enhancing America could be mutually beneficial.
Xi's visit follows his hosting of Trump in Beijing in May. His agenda in Washington includes a state dinner with leaders from the US tech industry, a military ceremony at the White House, and a visit to the National Archives, which houses significant historical documents.
Discussions between Trump and Xi are expected to address various topics, including the US-Israel conflict regarding Iran, the US-China trade deal, artificial intelligence, and US relations with Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mentioned that he met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng prior to Xi's visit to explore the possibility of a more comprehensive agreement. Bessent confirmed the extension of the Busan Agreement, which was set to expire on November 10 and has now been extended to January 10.
Yun Sun, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, remarked that the short extension indicates that both nations are preparing for more extensive negotiations. She noted that Xi's visit is unprecedented, as it is rare for the leaders of the two countries to visit each other within a single year. Sun highlighted the stabilization of US-China relations compared to a year ago when both countries were imposing tariffs and export controls against each other.
Regarding Taiwan, Sun indicated that Beijing aims to prevent the advancement of a $14 billion arms package approved by Congress earlier this year. She expressed optimism about potential progress on artificial intelligence, particularly regarding a proposed hotline mechanism for notifying each other of significant security risks associated with AI developments in their respective countries.