Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the US and China to work as partners rather than rivals as he arrived in the United States for a three-day state visit, setting the tone ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump, according to Xinhua.
“China and the United States are both great countries, and the two peoples are both great peoples,” Xi said in a written speech after arriving in the US on Wednesday, according to the state-run Xinhua.
Xi said the two countries have maintained friendly exchanges for years and that their interests are closely intertwined. He also suggested that Beijing’s goal of achieving the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” and Trump’s push to “” could coexist.
The two ambitions, Xi said, “can go hand in hand, complement each other and benefit the world,” according to China’s state-run Global Times.
Trump personally welcomed Xi and China’s First Lady Peng Liyuan on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, marking the start of the Chinese president’s state visit to Washington.
Xi received a high-profile welcome ceremony, with a 100-foot-long red carpet, US service members, a military flyover involving two B-1 bombers, and the presentation of the flags and national anthems of the two countries.
Trump’s decision to personally greet a foreign leader at the military base was notable, as it was reportedly the first such instance by a US president since 1962.
The last US president to personally welcome a foreign leader at the base was John F. Kennedy, who received then-British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1962.
The meeting will mark Xi’s second summit with Trump in less than six months.
The talks are likely to focus on trade and tariffs, technology, critical minerals and the broader direction of US-China relations.
Ahead of Xi’s visit, Washington and Beijing also agreed to extend their temporary in the trade war, according to a Fox News report.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the two countries had agreed to extend the tariff truce through January, as per AFP.
Speaking to Fox News after meeting Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Bessent said an agreement had been reached to extend the so-called “Busan Agreement”, which was due to expire on November 10.
Xi’s delegation includes several senior Chinese officials, including Politburo Standing Committee member Cai Qi, a close aide to the Chinese president.
Vice Premier He Lifeng and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are also part of the delegation, along with other senior officials and Chinese ambassadors.
