Trump greets Xi as US and China extend trade truce

President Donald Trump greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday evening, an unusual welcome for a foreign leader as the two countries agreed to extend a temporary trade truce. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the agreement would run until January 10.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump traveled to the Maryland military base outside Washington to meet Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan. The couples shook hands beside a red carpet, then Trump and Xi walked side by side past US service members.

The Guardian reported that the arrival ceremony featured a 100-foot red carpet, a flyover by two B-1 bombers and presentations of both countries’ flags and national anthems. Al Jazeera also reported a gunfire salute. US presidents typically receive visiting leaders at the White House; Al Jazeera described Trump as the first president in recent memory to greet a foreign leader at the airport.

Bessent told Fox News that Washington and Beijing had agreed to extend the so-called “Busan agreement,” a temporary pause in their trade dispute. He met Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng earlier Wednesday, according to The Guardian. Al Jazeera reported that an 11-month deal providing relief from steep tariffs had been due to expire November 10. US tariffs on Chinese goods and retaliatory measures by Beijing have strained relations.

More ceremony is planned. The Guardian said the visit will include a formal state welcome on the White House South Lawn, private tea with the US president and first lady, and a tour of the National Archives. The White House has also invited executives from OpenAI, Apple, xAI, Microsoft, Nvidia and Meta to a state dinner for Xi on Thursday, according to The Guardian.

The leaders face questions beyond tariffs. The Guardian identified the race to develop artificial intelligence and geopolitical instability as issues for their talks. Al Jazeera said discussions were likely to cover the US war on Iran, rare-earth minerals and US ties to Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its territory.

Trump has promoted greater US investment in artificial intelligence and dismissed concerns that its development could harm people, The Guardian reported. “WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS! We are leading China, and all others, and will continue to do so,” he wrote on Truth Social. The Guardian reported that Trump and members of his administration have argued that leadership in AI also carries military and economic importance.

The Guardian described Xi’s visit as a reciprocal display of ceremony following Trump’s trip to China earlier this year. Speaking on Fox & Friends on Wednesday morning, Melania Trump said: “He’s coming on our soil, and we need to welcome them with the most respect.”

The outlets gave different lengths for Xi’s stay: The Guardian described a two-day visit, while Al Jazeera called it a three-day trip.