US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington on Wednesday as the two leaders began a three-day state visit amid simmering tensions over trade, technology, Taiwan and Iran.
Xi’s visit — his first to the United States in nearly three years — is not expected to produce a major breakthrough, but Washington and Beijing have agreed to extend their existing trade truce, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
Trump personally greeted Xi after his arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, underlining the importance of the visit.
The arrival ceremony featured military honours, a military band, cannon fire and a B-1 bomber flyover. According to C-SPAN, it was the first time in 11 years that a US president had personally welcomed a foreign leader at Joint Base Andrews.
“China and the United States should be partners, not rivals,” Xi said in a written statement released by the Chinese embassy. The statement did not mention the trade agreement.
Bessent said the two countries had agreed to extend what he called the “Busan Agreement” until Jan 10. The existing trade truce had been due to expire on Nov 10.
Despite the agreement, major differences remain between Washington and Beijing, including disputes over rare-earth minerals, advanced computer chips, Taiwan and China’s relationship with Iran.
People familiar with the discussions said Xi was expected to raise Beijing’s position on Taiwan, while Trump was likely to maintain US export controls despite Chinese objections.
It also remains unclear whether Beijing will play a role in helping Washington resolve the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Thursday’s talks could nevertheless produce agreements in specific areas, including trade, efforts to combat drug trafficking and expanded military-to-military communication.
The two sides are also expected to discuss artificial intelligence, an area where the US and China are competing intensely while facing growing concerns over the technology’s risks.
The visit will also feature a White House state dinner attended by prominent technology executives, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
Additional events include a White House military ceremony and a visit to the National Archives, where the original US Declaration of Independence and Constitution are kept.
Despite their differences, Washington and Beijing are seeking to project stability in relations between the world’s largest consumer market and biggest manufacturing power.
As with their previous meetings since 2025, the summit is expected to be highly choreographed, with the two countries likely to issue separate announcements highlighting their respective priorities rather than holding a joint press conference.
The visit comes as Trump faces pressure at home over the Iran conflict and rising energy prices, while Xi arrives after a period of strong Chinese trade performance despite weak domestic consumption and a prolonged property-market downturn.
Another Trump-Xi meeting could take place later this year, potentially on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China in November or the G20 meetings in the United States in December.
