Xi Jinping's US Visit: From Rural Youth to China's Most Powerful Leader

Chinese President Xi Jinping begins his first official visit to the United States in 11 years on Wednesday in Washington, marking a significant shift from his first contact with the country four decades ago as a low-ranking municipal official. During that earlier trip, Xi spent several days in Iowa learning about agriculture and staying with a local family, a visit highlighted by Chinese state media and later symbolized by Iowa governor Terry Branstad's appointment as US ambassador to China under Donald Trump. Now 73, Xi has led China for nearly 14 years, transforming the Communist Party and the country's global role, with US-China relations now defined by competition over global influence, tariffs, technology controls, and military rivalry.