Trump gives Xi rare airport welcome as Chinese leader begins US state visit

US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews, a US military airfield outside Washington, as Xi began a state visit to the US. This rare personal airport welcome was given as the two leaders seek to preserve a fragile diplomatic and economic truce.

The visit, which is Xi's first state visit to the US in over a decade, is focused on issues such as trade, artificial intelligence, and Iran. According to The Jakarta Post, Trump and Xi stood side by side on the tarmac as a military band played national anthems, and Trump shook hands with Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan.

The US and China have agreed to extend their trade truce by two months, with a new deadline of January 10, as announced by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Xi stated that China and the US "should be partners, not rivals" and that the two countries can contribute to each other's success, benefiting the wider world.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, The Jakarta Post, Japan Times, The Korea Times, Ajel English — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.