Trump Welcomes Xi at Start of Three-Day U.S. Visit

Donald Trump personally welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews on September 23, opening a three-day U.S. visit with an elaborate airport ceremony as the two governments prepared for talks on trade, technology and other contentious issues. The leaders’ meetings and the visit’s remaining events were still ahead, and expectations for major agreements were described as low. Trump and first lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, after they left their aircraft at the Maryland military base outside Washington. The ceremony included a military band, an honor cordon and a flyover by two B-1 bombers, according to arrival reports. The couples walked along a red carpet before Xi and Peng departed in a motorcade. Trump and Melania Trump returned to the White House by helicopter. The visit is Xi’s second summit with Trump in less than six months, according to the reports. It follows Trump’s visit to China in May, which included a ceremonial welcome. The airport greeting was described in the coverage as unusual for a U.S. president; reports cited previous welcomes at the base for foreign leaders in 1959 and 1962.