Trump personally welcomes Xi Jinping to US in rare diplomatic move

President Trump personally welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, a rare diplomatic gesture, with the visit centered on the US-China competition over artificial intelligence. The arrival included full head-of-state honors. Trump and First Lady Melania greeted Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan on the tarmac shortly after 1:00 AM Greek time, with a red carpet, honor guard, and a flyover of two B-1 bombers. According to the Financial Times, this was the first such personal reception at the base since President Kennedy welcomed British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1962. The September 23-25 state visit, Xi's first to the US in over a decade, includes a White House ceremony, private tea, and a Thursday state dinner with tech leaders from OpenAI, Apple, xAI, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Meta. Trump has stressed the need to outpace China in AI, while trade, tariffs, and geopolitical tensions remain unresolved.