Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Wednesday (September 23) for a three-day visit to the United States. US President Trump personally went to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to greet Xi Jinping surrounded by a 100-foot red carpet, a military band and a gun salute.
This is Xi Jinping's first state visit to the United States in the past 11 years. At the welcome ceremony, the Trumps shook hands with Xi Jinping and his wife, talked for several minutes and took photos. A B-1 bomber also flew over the base to pay tribute.
According to US media C-SPAN, this is the first time in 11 years that a US president has welcomed a foreign leader at Joint Base Andrew. The last time was in 2015, when then-President Obama welcomed Pope Francis.
After arriving in Washington, Xi Jinping issued a written statement emphasizing that China and the United States "should be partners, not adversaries."
He pointed out that the interests of China and the United States are "deeply integrated" and should promote a stable relationship in which "cooperation is the mainstay and competition is moderate." He also echoed Trump's political slogan and said: "Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making the United States great again can go hand in hand, achieve mutual success, and benefit the world."
Xi Jinping said he looked forward to exchanging views with Trump on major issues such as China-US relations and the world situation, and "believed that with the joint efforts of both parties, this visit will achieve fruitful results."
This visit was carried out by Xi Jinping at the invitation of Trump. The two met again after May this year. According to the itinerary announced by the White House, Xi Jinping will hold talks with Trump at the White House on the 24th, have a state dinner with business leaders, and attend a White House military ceremony. On the 25th, he will visit the National Archives, which houses the original copies of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Trade truce extended to January next year
U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent said on Wednesday that the United States and China have agreed to extend the trade truce.
After meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Bessant told Fox News: "The economic relaxation period between the two countries, which was originally scheduled to end on November 10, will be extended to January 10, giving us more time to see what we can do economically."
In April last year, the United States increased tariffs on Chinese imported goods in stages, up to 145%; China retaliated with tariffs, up to 125%, and restricted the export of some materials. Since then, the United States and China have repeatedly agreed to suspend the implementation of new tariffs for 90 days each time.
The heads of state of the United States and China held a summit in Busan, South Korea in October last year and reached a broader trade truce, which included the suspension of high tariffs, rare earth restrictions, and high fees for Chinese-made or Chinese-owned ships to call at U.S. ports.
This extension of the trade truce will ensure the stability of bilateral relations until 2027, but it falls short of the 3 to 6-month extension target previously proposed by some U.S. officials.
"Bloomberg" quoted Scott Kennedy, an expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington think tank, as saying that the shorter extension period shows that the United States is still not satisfied with China's proposals on rare earths and possibly other issues. "This sets a minimum benchmark for the possible outcomes of the summit, and the market can start pricing accordingly, while also retaining the possibility that Trump and Xi Jinping will reach a longer-term agreement in person."
What "expectations" do both parties have?
U.S.-China tensions extend beyond tariffs. China also protests against the U.S.’s export controls on semiconductors and artificial intelligence chips, arguing that the measures hinder Chinese companies from acquiring advanced technologies; the U.S. accuses China of deliberately withholding some key raw materials.
The summit comes at a time when Trump is facing public pressure at home. Public opinion is focused on how he will deal with the Iran war, and with the November midterm elections approaching, Trump may seek short-term visible results at the summit, including securing trade orders from China.
China may focus more on long-term interests, such as avoiding the expansion of U.S. high-tech controls on China, delaying arms sales to Taiwan, and limiting interactions between Taiwan and the United States.
Reuters quoted analysts as saying that the leaders of both countries may not believe that they need to compromise.
Edgard Kagan, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said: "The president is very confident that over time, the U.S. economy will continue to grow and the United States will become stronger... When Xi Jinping and Trump sat down to talk, Xi Jinping very much believed that the United States was declining rapidly and that time was on China's side."
