Trump welcomes Xi for state visit as US-China trade truce to be extended

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington Wednesday evening (Sept 23), where he received a rare greeting from President Donald Trump, who met his counterpart at the base's airport instead of waiting for him to drive to the White House.

Trump's decision to greet Xi shows how far the US president is going to honour China's leader as he made his first state visit to the US capital in more than a decade.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox News Channel Wednesday that the two countries would extend their trade truce to Jan 10. It had been set to expire in November.

The short extension gives the US leverage

Keeping the extension of the trade truce gives the US a chance to test whether China delivers on its promises to buy US farm goods, said Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies.

"This is less about buying two months of calm than making China earn the next extension," he said.

China wanted a longer trade truce extension, expert says

The extension is "way shorter than China had hoped for," said Wendy Cutler, a former US trade negotiator and now senior vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute.

"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," Cutler said.

Xi says China and the US should be 'partners, not rivals'

In a statement marking his arrival in the US, China's leader wrote that his country and the US "should be partners, not rivals. Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand and the two countries can contribute to each other's success, thereby benefitting the wider world."

Xi's statement also suggested that the two sides "should move toward each other and work together to build a stable relationship - one where co-operation is the mainstay, competition is kept within proper limits, differences are managed and peace can be expected."

In brief comments to reporters upon returning to the White House, Trump said of going to greet Xi's plane, "I think they appreciate it, tremendous people."

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The airport pomp delivers a propaganda win for Beijing, former diplomat says

Danny Russel, a State Department official during the Obama administration, said President Trump has given the Chinese leader Xi Jinping what Beijing wanted.

"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 a distinguished fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute.

"Beijing uses this at home and internationally to show China's - and Xi's - growing stature," Russel said.

And it may not serve US interests, because Beijing is likely to "see this level of deferential accommodation as an indicator of weakness," he said.

Xi bids goodbye to the Trumps at the airport

After a brief exchange with President Trump on the tarmac, Xi walked over a few steps to shake hands with Melania Trump and bid farewell to the couple. Xi had a smile on his face and looked relaxed.

Both Xi and his wife Peng were seen entering their vehicle, and the Trumps waited a while before walking off.

The two leaders are set to meet Thursday for formal talks.

Trump sports black gloves and a long coat for Xi welcome

The president appeared to be the only one dressed in cold-weather attire. He took gloves on and off multiple times for rounds of handshakes with Xi and Peng.

It was about 18 deg C with a brisk breeze, according to the National Weather Service.

Greeting for Xi in Washington echoes Trump rolling out red carpet for Putin last year

The 30m red carpet unfurled as Xi stepped off his plane outside Washington recalled a similar, extra-long one the US laid out for Russian President Valdimir Putin when he touched down at a US air force base in Alaska last summer.

This time, Trump and first lady Melania Trump, shook hands with Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, before appearing to chat and exchange pleasantries that couldn't be heard.

There was a 21-person honour guard, a flyover from two B1 bombers, flower presenters, platoons from each military service and the flags and anthems of both countries.

When Putin arrived in August 2025, he shook hands with President Trump while both grinned. The first lady wasn't present.

Trump and Putin then took the unusual step of climbing into the US president's limo to share a ride that whisked them to ultimately unsuccessful talks about ending Russia's war in Ukraine.

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Welcoming red carpet rolled out - with a bit of a struggle

A giant red carpet was rolled out at the bottom of the red stairs leading down from Xi's jet. It took several US service members and an animated director of sorts to unroll the carpet, steer it into place and get it straightened out.

Chinese officials briefly waited at the entrance of the jet while the carpet was adjusted.

China offered Trump an elaborate welcome ceremony when Air Force One touched down for his visit to Beijing in May, involving top officials and school children acting as greeters, but Xi did not attend personally.