US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington on Wednesday for a three-day visit expected to test relations between the two superpowers as tensions persist over trade, technology, Taiwan and Iran.
Xi’s first trip to the United States in nearly three years was not expected to produce major breakthroughs, but Washington and Beijing could extend their 11-month trade truce. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the two sides had reached an agreement to extend the truce as Trump personally greeted Xi at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after his arrival, underscoring the importance Washington attaches to the visit. China’s embassy in Washington had no immediate comment.
At the arrival ceremony, Trump and Xi, accompanied by their wives, shook hands, spoke briefly and posed for photographs as a military band played, cannons fired and a B-1 bomber flew overhead.
The welcome marked the first time in 11 years that a US president had greeted a foreign leader at Joint Base Andrews, according to C-SPAN, which tracks presidential events. The previous such reception was held for Pope Francis in 2015 during Barack Obama’s presidency.
“China and the United States should be partners, not rivals,” Xi said in a written statement released by the Chinese embassy that made no reference to a trade agreement.
A trade agreement, even a limited one, could ease pressure on global markets shaken by a tariff war in 2025 that saw the world’s two largest economies impose tariffs reaching triple-digit levels on each other.
Bessent told Fox News’ “Special Report” that the agreement would extend the trade truce through January 10. The existing truce had been due to expire on November 10.
However, major differences remain between Washington and Beijing over issues including Chinese restrictions on rare-earth minerals, US export controls on computer chips, China’s ties with Iran and US support for Taiwan.
The meeting comes at a difficult moment for Trump, who faces public discontent over his handling of the war with Iran. Xi, while also facing domestic challenges, arrives as China’s trade performance remains strong.
Some Republicans regard Beijing as an existential threat and have expressed concern over Trump’s outreach to China’s Communist Party.
People familiar with the plans said Xi was likely to raise Beijing’s claims over Taiwan, an issue Washington would prefer to avoid, while Trump was expected to maintain firm export controls despite Chinese objections.
It remained unclear whether Beijing would help Trump break the stalemate in the conflict with Iran. Talks scheduled for Thursday could nevertheless produce agreements on reducing tariffs in specific sectors, cooperating against drug trafficking and expanding military-to-military dialogue.
Trump is also expected to seek the release of some Americans and other people detained in China, according to people familiar with the plans.
The two countries could also agree to expand discussions on artificial intelligence, an area in which they are engaged in intense competition despite growing concerns over the technology’s risks.
Analysts said neither leader appeared to believe he needed to make major compromises.
“The president very much believes that over time the US economy is going to grow, the US will get stronger,” said Edgard Kagan, a former White House official now with Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies. “I think when Xi Jinping sits down with Donald Trump, he very much believes the US is in hurtling decline, and that time is on China’s side.”
The visit is also expected to include a state dinner attended by leading technology executives, a White House military ceremony and a visit to the National Archives, where the original Declaration of Independence and Constitution are housed.
The state dinner on Thursday is expected to include executives from companies with major interests in both markets, including Apple’s Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and OpenAI’s Sam Altman.
Despite their deep disagreements, Washington and Beijing pressed ahead with the summit, which analysts said was intended to project stability between the world’s largest manufacturing power and its biggest consumer market.
As with their previous two meetings since 2025, the leaders are planning a highly scripted programme. Rather than holding a joint news conference at the end, the two countries are expected to issue separate announcements highlighting the outcomes each side wants to present to its domestic audience.
For Trump, the visit caps a week of diplomacy that began with a two-day stay in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Nearly seven months of war with Iran have pushed up energy prices in the United States, while Trump’s Republican Party faces a challenging environment ahead of November’s congressional elections.
Xi has overseen strong growth in China’s trade but faces weak household spending and a prolonged property-market downturn. Sweeping anti-corruption campaigns in the military have further consolidated his power but have also raised questions about the readiness of the People’s Liberation Army.
Another meeting between Trump and Xi is expected later this year, potentially on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China in November or the Group of 20 meetings in the United States in December.