Trump welcomes Xi to Washington

US President Donald Trump has welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping at the airport with a red carpet and military flyover to kick off a historic three-day US visit Wednesday. Trump and First Lady Melania shook hands with Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan after the Chinese president descended from his plane at Joint Base Andrews, a US military airfield outside Washington. After shaking hands, Trump and Xi departed Joint Base Andrews en route for Washington DC.Six F-22 fighter jets and six F-16s were lined up on the tarmac in an apparent display of military might as US officials literally rolled out the red carpet for the Chinese leader.

PRES XI DESCENDS FROM PLANE as TRUMP WELCOMES HIM with WARM HANDSHAKE pic.twitter.com/EGOkUdPAcm

— RT (@RT_com) September 23, 2026

Xi was accompanied by his right-hand man Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, among others, according to Chinese state media.  But there were no Chinese CEOs in Xi's delegation, two sources told AFP, despite the fact that top US tech bosses including the leaders of major AI companies are set to attend Thursday's White House state banquet.
The two leaders last met in May in China, where Trump received a grand ceremonial welcome from Xi at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, complete with a gun salute and a band playing the US national anthem.