Washington (United States) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump treated Chinese President Xi Jinping to a rare personal airport welcome Wednesday, kicking off a pomp-filled state visit aimed at smoothing superpower tensions on everything from AI and trade to Iran. The summit is expected to be more about spectacle than substance — but there was an early breakthrough when Washington announced a two-month extension of a trade truce with Beijing that was due to expire in November. After officials literally rolled out the red carpet, Trump and First Lady Melania shook hands with Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan once the Chinese president descended from his plane at Joint Base Andrews, a US military airfield outside Washington.
Trump, wearing a long coat and gloves, and Xi then stood side by side on the tarmac as a military band played national anthems. A noisy flyover by two B-1 bombers clearly jolted the 80-year-old Trump, who grimaced at the roar of jets, while his Chinese guest stood by impassively. Trump brushed off the fact that Xi had not given him a similar airport welcome when he visited Beijing in May. “I thought it was a great little meeting, a great greeting, and I think they appreciate it,” Trump told reporters at the White House after welcoming Xi.
The lavish visit — the third between Xi and Trump since the US leader returned to power — will include a formal welcome and another flyover, talks in the Oval Office, and a state banquet at the White House on Thursday. It will wrap up on Friday morning when the two presidential couples have tea at the White House and then visit the National Archives, home to the US Declaration of Independence. Expectations of any breakthroughs are low. Analysts say the main aim of the pageantry is to maintain a fragile calm between the superpower rivals.
The Iran war will be on the agenda, Trump confirmed Wednesday, despite having earlier played down reports that Beijing was supplying Tehran with intelligence as the conflict drags on. “I’ll be talking about that and many other subjects — but it’s all coming along well, including that,” Trump said when an AFP reporter asked if he would bring up Iran. On the simmering trade war sparked by Trump’s sweeping tariffs last year, US Treasury Scott Bessent announced Wednesday after intensive pre-summit talks that there had been an extension of a truce. The “economic detente” will now extend beyond its November 10 deadline to January 10, Bessent said.
But hopes of business deals have been dimmed by the fact that there are no Chinese CEOs in Xi’s delegation, two sources told AFP. In contrast, top US tech bosses including the leaders of major AI companies are set to attend Thursday’s banquet. AI is set to dominate the summit amid growing fears — boosted by warnings from AI CEOs — that the technology risks wiping out humanity. China and the United States are racing for supremacy in the field, viewing it as crucial for the rest of the century. Preliminary talks on Sunday between Bessent and his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng included discussion of creating a communication channel for AI concerns.
But overall the idea is to extend the “gentleman’s agreement” to reduce tensions between Beijing and Washington despite their rivalry, Jonathan Czin of the Brookings Institution told AFP. Trump’s five-star welcome for Xi has drawn criticism from China hawks within his own party, especially amid reports that Beijing supplied Iran with intelligence for attacks on US troops. “Our commander-in-chief should keep in mind that his guest is a brutal, unelected and oppressive dictator,” said Republican Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee.
But for Trump, Xi’s visit is also a chance to focus on pageantry instead of problems at home, where the Iran war’s effect on fuel prices has sent his approval rating plummeting to historic lows ahead of midterm elections in November. The last American president to welcome a foreign leader at Andrews — except for papal visits — was John F. Kennedy in 1962, although Trump welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin off his plane in Alaska last year.
© 2024 AFP
