LWASHINGTON (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington on Wednesday for a three-day visit that will test relations between the superpowers as tensions simmer over trade, technology, Taiwan and Iran.Xi’s first trip to the US in nearly three years was not expected to deliver major breakthroughs, but Washington and Beijing could extend their 11-month trade truce.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said they had reached a deal on an extension, as Trump greeted Xi personally at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after his arrival, underscoring the visit’s importance.China’s embassy in Washington had no immediate comment.
At the arrival ceremony, the leaders and their wives shook hands, spoke for a few minutes and stood for pictures as a military band played, cannons blasted and a B-1 military bomber flew overhead.
The welcome marked the first time in 11 years that a US president has greeted a foreign leader at Joint Base Andrews, according to C-SPAN, which tracks presidential events.
The last such reception was for Pope Francis in 2015 during Barack Obama’s presidency.”China and the United States should be partners, not rivals,” Xi said in a written statement released by the Chinese embassy that made no reference to a trade deal.POSITIVE SIGNALS ON TRADEA trade deal, even a limited one, could soothe global markets shaken by a 2025 tariff war that led to triple-digit levies between the world’s two biggest economies.
Bessent told Fox News’ “Special Report” that the deal would extend the truce through January 10. It had been set to expire on November 10.Deep differences remain. The two countries are at odds on issues including export controls on rare-earth minerals and computer chips, China’s ties with Iran and US support for Taiwan.
The meeting comes at a difficult moment for Trump, who faces public discontent with his war on Iran. Xi, while also facing challenges at home, arrives in a seemingly stronger position, with his country’s trade engine roaring. Some Republicans regard Beijing as an existential threat and are wary of Trump’s friendly outreach to China’s ruling Communist Party.
