Xi Jinping Begins State Visit to U.S.; Trump Welcomes Him at Airport

Trump and First Lady Personally Welcome Xi at Airport
Xi Makes First State Visit to U.S. in 11 Years

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the United States on the 23rd (local time) for a summit meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

President Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, landed at Joint Base Andrews, near Washington, D.C., at around 5:39 p.m. that day. President Trump and his wife, Melania, came to the airport to personally welcome President Xi and First Lady Peng. It is unusual for a U.S. president to greet a foreign leader at the airport.

Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 24th, President Trump will host a state welcoming ceremony for President Xi at the White House, followed by a summit and a state dinner. President Xi will carry out a three-day visit, staying until the 25th. This is the first state visit to the U.S. by a Chinese president in 11 years, since the Barack Obama administration in 2015.

This visit is in return for President Trump's trip to China last May. The two leaders eased tensions heightened by the trade war during a meeting in Busan last October, and then met again this May in Beijing. This is the third in-person summit since the launch of President Trump’s second term.

Aside from the grand state visit events, the main agenda of the summit is whether the two countries can continue the U.S.-China “trade truce,” which is set to expire in November. According to The New York Times (NYT), while the summit in Busan helped ease tensions, expectations for a major breakthrough at this meeting are low.

Analysts note that President Xi is facing China’s economic downturn, while President Trump is burdened by high energy prices and low approval ratings resulting from the aftermath of the Iran war, especially ahead of the midterm elections.

Security concerns surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) are also expected to be discussed at the summit. Before the meeting, the U.S. proposed to China that both countries should mutually notify each other if an AI incident occurs that could impact national security.

The NYT reported that parts of the U.S. government are concerned that AI could enhance China’s cyberattack or military codebreaking capabilities. Executives from major American technology companies, including OpenAI, Google, and Nvidia, are also expected to attend the state dinner on the 24th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.