China’s President Xi has been greeted by Donald Trump as he arrived in Washington for a historic summit.
The White House has rolled out the red carpet for China’s leader Xi Jinping, with AI, trade and Taiwan expected to be on the agenda for the leaders of the global superpowers.
Xi was greeted personally by Trump at Andrews Air Force Base on the eve of a White House state dinner and a military flyover.
The three-day trip marks Xi’s first state visit to the US since 2015 and his third meeting with Trump in the past year.
Adding to the high-stakes state visit, a US-China trade agreement reached last year is set to expire in November.
The trade truce – reached in October 2025 as Trump and Xi met in South Korea – saw Washington suspend steep tariff increases on Chinese goods while Beijing eased back from restricting rare earth exports critical for manufacturing.
Experts said they will be watching for some sort of announcement around an extension of this agreement during the state visit.
Xi’s trip to Washington, which ends on Friday, will have plenty of pomp and pageantry, and includes lavish dinners, private tours and performances. He is accompanied by First Lady Peng Liyuan who is expected to visit the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art with US First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday.
Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Sarah Smith, Laura Bicker and Faisal Islam.
Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews
For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news
#BBCNews
