WASHINGTON, Sep 23 – President Donald Trump gave Chinese President Xi Jinping an unusually personal welcome on Wednesday as the Chinese leader arrived in Washington for a three-day visit, with the two countries also agreeing to extend their fragile trade truce until Jan. 10.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump met Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where the Chinese president was greeted beside his aircraft with a military ceremony and a long red carpet. The reception came as Washington and Beijing sought to keep their economic relationship from slipping back into another round of escalating tariffs and trade restrictions.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the extension of the trade agreement during an interview with Fox News as Xi was arriving in the Washington area. The arrangement had been scheduled to expire Nov. 10 and keeps existing tariff reductions and restrictions on new trade measures in place for another two months.
Bessent said the additional time could allow Trump and Xi to address unresolved issues during their meetings in Washington and at upcoming international gatherings in China and Florida.
“I don’t know whether a bigger deal can be done,” Bessent said, adding that the two sides could ultimately decide to continue the existing arrangement rather than negotiate an entirely new agreement.
The extension gives the world’s two largest economies more time to work through disagreements involving agricultural purchases, critical minerals, technology and other trade commitments. It also avoids an immediate return to the much higher tariffs and retaliatory measures that had strained the relationship before the truce.
For Xi, however, the opening day of the visit was dominated as much by ceremony as by negotiations.
Trump stages an unusually elaborate welcome for Xi
A roughly 100-foot red carpet stretched across the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews as Xi stepped out of his plane. A 21-member honor guard stood along the carpet while Trump and Melania waited near the aircraft to greet the Chinese leader and Peng.
The ceremony included military personnel from the U.S. armed services, the flags and national anthems of both countries and a flyover by two B-1 bombers.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk with China’s President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Flags are marched in as an Air China airplane with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan aboard, arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Trump, wearing an overcoat and gloves despite temperatures of about 63 degrees Fahrenheit, removed one glove to shake Xi’s hand. At another point, he placed a hand on Xi’s back while speaking to him, although their conversation could not be heard by reporters.
The president later described the Chinese delegation positively when speaking to reporters after returning to the White House.
The decision to greet Xi personally at the military base was unusual for a visiting foreign leader. Rather than waiting for Xi to arrive at the White House, Trump traveled to the airport to meet him as soon as he reached the Washington region.
Melania Trump said her husband wanted to give Xi and Peng a respectful welcome because of the relationship between the two presidents.
“He’s coming on our soil, and we need to welcome them with the most respect,” she said during an interview with Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”
The reception also recalled Trump’s own visit to China earlier this year. Xi was not personally at the airport when Trump arrived in Beijing, but Chinese officials arranged an elaborate reception featuring a military honor guard, a military band and hundreds of young people carrying Chinese and American flags.
Xi’s arrival statement struck a similarly conciliatory tone. He said China and the United States should be “partners, not rivals” and argued that China’s national development and Trump’s goal of making America stronger could proceed alongside each other.
The warm public display comes despite major disagreements between Washington and Beijing over trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan, critical minerals and China’s relationship with Iran.
Trade truce buys Washington and Beijing more time
The extension of the trade truce was one of the first concrete developments surrounding Xi’s visit.
The original arrangement had reduced some tariffs and eased several trade restrictions after months of confrontation between Washington and Beijing. The agreement also included commitments involving Chinese purchases of American agricultural products and the movement of critical minerals.
Bessent said the new Jan. 10 deadline gives both governments additional time to determine whether they can reach a broader agreement.
The decision was also significant because some of the commitments under the existing arrangement remain incomplete.
Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade negotiator who is now a senior vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said China’s preference had been for a longer extension. She said the shorter period could reflect continued U.S. concerns about whether Beijing is fully meeting its commitments, particularly concerning critical minerals and agricultural purchases.
Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the additional two months could give Washington an opportunity to assess China’s performance before agreeing to another extension.
The two governments have been discussing more than tariffs. Officials have also been working on mechanisms for trade negotiations and dialogue over artificial intelligence, including ways to communicate about potentially dangerous AI incidents.
Technology is expected to remain one of the most complicated parts of the U.S.-China relationship. Washington wants to limit national security risks associated with advanced technologies while China is seeking to expand its position in artificial intelligence and other strategic industries.
Trade tensions are also connected to the supply of rare earth elements and other critical materials that are important to manufacturing, electronics and defense industries.
The January deadline therefore gives both governments a relatively short period to demonstrate progress before another major decision is required.
The leaders are expected to focus more directly on those issues on Thursday, when Xi attends a formal arrival ceremony at the White House before meeting Trump.
Republican criticism contrasts with Trump’s warmer approach
The elaborate welcome has not been universally welcomed in Washington.
Sen. Roger Wicker, the Mississippi Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned whether Trump should have extended such a lavish reception to Xi given the continuing disputes between the United States and China.
Wicker said in a Senate speech Tuesday that the president should reconsider inviting Xi in light of what he described as troubling issues involving the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the need for direct engagement, saying the United States and China are the world’s two largest economies and among its most powerful military powers.
Former U.S. diplomat Danny Russel offered a different interpretation of the airport ceremony. Russel, who served in the Obama administration and now works with the Asia Society Policy Institute, said the highly visible welcome could be used by Beijing to demonstrate Xi’s international standing.
The differing reactions reflect a broader debate within Washington over how the United States should manage its relationship with China while maintaining pressure over security and economic concerns.
Trump has repeatedly emphasized his personal relationship with Xi and has described the Chinese president in complimentary terms. At the same time, U.S. officials continue to raise concerns over China’s trade practices, military activities around Taiwan, technology ambitions and relations with countries such as Iran.
The remainder of Xi’s visit is expected to combine formal diplomacy with extensive ceremony.
On Thursday, Trump and Xi are scheduled to hold more substantive discussions before attending a black-tie state dinner. The guest list is expected to include prominent figures from the technology industry, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
The two presidents are also expected to discuss Taiwan, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, trade and the war involving Iran.
Trump has made clear that he wanted Xi’s visit to receive an especially prominent welcome. He had previously expressed disappointment that the White House’s planned ballroom would not be completed in time for the occasion, while highlighting a new helicopter landing area at the White House.
On Friday, Xi and Peng are scheduled to return to the White House for a private tea with Trump and Melania. The couples are then expected to visit the National Archives in Washington, where they will view historic documents highlighting the long and complicated relationship between the United States and China.
For now, the two governments have secured more time on trade. Whether that pause produces a broader agreement remains uncertain, leaving the Washington meetings as another test of whether the personal diplomacy between Trump and Xi can translate into lasting arrangements between their governments.