Trump rolls out lavish red-carpet welcome for Xi as US-China talks begin

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Wednesday for a three-day state visit, receiving an unusually lavish and personal welcome from US President Donald Trump at Joint Base Andrews as the two leaders prepare for high-stakes talks on trade, technology, security and global conflicts.

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were waiting on the tarmac when Xi and Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan stepped off their aircraft at the Maryland airbase. The welcome broke with the usual protocol of US presidents receiving visiting foreign leaders at the White House and was described as a rare diplomatic gesture.

Xi's arrival was marked by full military honours. The two couples walked along a 100-foot red carpet as a 21-person honour cordon stood at attention, while the US Air Force Band played the national anthems of both countries and ceremonial cannon fire rang out. Two B-1 bombers also flew over the airbase, adding to the elaborate spectacle.

The gesture was particularly notable because US presidents generally greet visiting leaders at the White House rather than personally receiving them at the airport. The last reported instance of a US president welcoming a foreign leader at an airport was in 1962, when President John F. Kennedy received British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.

The carefully choreographed welcome began Xi's first state visit to Washington in more than a decade and his second summit with Trump in less than six months. The two leaders are scheduled to hold talks at the White House on Thursday, followed by a state dinner hosted by Trump and Melania.

The talks are expected to cover the US-China trade truce, tariffs, rare-earth supplies, artificial intelligence, technology restrictions, Taiwan, military ties, Iran and the Russia-Ukraine war. Washington and Beijing are also seeking to manage tensions over critical minerals and advanced technology while maintaining a fragile trade truce.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the relationship between Washington and Beijing would help define the 21st century, arguing that the two governments have an obligation to maintain high-level engagement despite their significant differences.

The state visit is expected to continue with a formal welcome ceremony at the White House, a military review and a black-tie state dinner attended by senior business and technology leaders. Xi and Peng are scheduled to meet the Trumps again on Friday before visiting the National Archives.

The highly ceremonial reception comes as both sides seek to stabilise a strained relationship, with expectations of a major breakthrough remaining limited despite the public display of diplomatic warmth.

With PTI inputs