Xi Jinping Arrives in Washington for First US State Visit in Nearly Three Years; Trump Greets Him on the Tarmac

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, landed at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, opening a three-day state visit — Xi's first trip to the US in nearly three years — with Trump breaking from protocol to personally greet the couple planeside rather than waiting at the White House. First Lady Melania Trump said the airport reception reflected the two leaders' 'great relationship'; Trump had invited Xi during his own state visit to China in May 2026. The visit continues Thursday with a formal White House arrival ceremony, a Rose Garden troop review, a summit meeting and a black-tie state dinner in the East Room featuring tech executives including Nvidia's Jensen Huang and SpaceX's Elon Musk, before a Friday tea and a joint visit to the National Archives. Analysts said the talks were likely to yield incremental progress on trade and AI rather than a breakthrough, with a temporary US-China trade truce due to expire in November.