China's Xi kicks off state visit to Washington on Wednesday with a rare planeside welcome from President Trump

WASHINGTON — When Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington on Wednesday, he's expected to get a rare greeting from President Donald Trump , who will be on the tarmac to welcome his counterpart instead of waiting for him to drive up to the White House. Trump's decision to greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews just outside Washington rather than receiving him at the executive residence shows how far the U.S. president is going to honor China's leader as he makes his first state visit in more than a decade. First lady Melania Trump said her husband decided to personally greet Xi when he arrives in the Washington region because “they have a great relationship.” “He's coming on our soil, and we need to welcome them with the most respect,” Melania said of Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, during an interview Wednesday, Sept.

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Scoop News DeskChina · Published Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 2:07 PM UTCUpdated Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 2:37 PM UTC

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Before the black-tie dinner, which will feature tech industry leaders like Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and SpaceX’s Elon Musk , the two leaders are expected to dive into the weighty issues behind closed doors, even as expectations are low that the trip will produce any major breakthroughs in the relationship.

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