Xi arrives in Washington, kicking off his state visit with rare planeside welcome from Trump

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Updated – September 24, 2026 04:02 am IST – Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. First Lady Melania Trump walk with China's President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, upon their arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., on September 23, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Wednesday (September 23, 2026), where he was to be met with a rare planeside greeting from U.S. President Donald Trump, who was there to welcome his counterpart on the tarmac instead of waiting for him to drive up to the White House.

Mr. Trump's decision to greet Mr. Xi at Joint Base Andrews just outside Washington rather than receiving him at the executive residence shows how far the U.S. President is going to honour China's leader as he made his first state visit to the U.S. capital in more than a decade.

The U.S. President and first lady Melania Trump were at the base to participate in an arrival ceremony for Mr. Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan. The salutation kicks off a three-day visit that's expected to be saturated with pomp, even by White House standards. The state visit, complete with a formal state dinner at the White House on Thursday, is supposed to reciprocate the ceremonial grandeur that marked Mr. Trump's May visit to China.

But it is also a showy patina at a time when tensions between the two geopolitical rivals are high over trade, artificial intelligence, Trump's war with Iran and China's designs on Taiwan.

The visit comes after Mr. Trump's trip to China in May

Beyond using the visit to try to keep “strategic stability” between the two countries, Mr. Trump seems to be pulling out all the diplomatic stops to show off for Mr. Xi. Mr. Trump has lavished praise on Mr. Xi as a “great leader” and described a warm relationship with the man he has called a friend. That is all while he has given Mr. Xi a pass on many issues.

Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticised the “lavish welcome." Wicker, R-Miss, said during a speech Tuesday (September 22) in the Senate that Mr. Trump should not have invited the Chinese leader “based on all of the troubling issues we have with President Xi and the Chinese Communist Party.”

Mr. Wicker archly suggested a list of topics that Mr. Trump could discuss with Mr. Xi at the state dinner, such as “the purposes of China's massive military buildup, or about China's clear support for Iran,” saying that “during every minute of dialogue” Mr. Trump should keep in mind that “his guest is a brutal, unelected and oppressive dictator who seeks to dominate his neighbours and whose massive military arsenal is aimed directly at the United States of America.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. and China must interact at the highest levels because the countries are “the two largest economies in the world” and “probably the two most powerful militaries in the world.”

“The idea that we would not interact with them at the highest levels is irresponsible. It's outrageous. We have to,” Rubio told reporters Wednesday (September 23) while he was in New York.

Mr. Trump has made it clear he wants to wow Mr. Xi, telling reporters in recent weeks that he was delighted his new “work of art” helicopter landing pad would be ready for the visit while bemoaning that his massive White House ballroom would not.

Mr. Trump on Wednesday (September 23) was looking to match the pageantry he was met with in China earlier this year. Xi was not at the airport to meet Trump — Chinese Vice President Han Zheng was there instead. But a red carpet was rolled out to meet Air Force One in Beijing. A military honour guard, a military band and about 300 Chinese youths waving Chinese and American flags and chanting, “Welcome, welcome! Warm welcome!” were also present. The children wore white and light blue uniforms that mirrored the traditional paint colours of the presidential plane.

Ms. Trump said earlier Wednesday (September 23) that her husband decided to personally greet Mr. Xi when he arrived in the Washington region because “they have a great relationship.”

“He's coming on our soil, and we need to welcome them with the most respect,” she said of Mr. Xi and his wife during an interview on Fox News Channel'.

Mr. Trump's airport ceremony for Mr. Xi will be followed on Thursday (September 24) by more formalities, including an arrival ceremony at the White House and a review of troops. Before the black-tie dinner, which will feature tech industry leaders like Nvidia's Jensen Huang and SpaceX's Elon Musk, the two leaders are expected to dive into the weighty issues behind closed doors, even as expectations are low that the trip will produce any major breakthroughs in the relationship.

On Friday (September 25), Mr. Xi and Ms. Peng will be back at the White House for a private tea with the Trumps before joining them on a tour of the National Archives in Washington. The White House has said they will view historic documents underscoring the relationship between the two countries.

Published – September 24, 2026 03:55 am IST

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Fonte: The Hindu – International