Xi Jinping arrives in Washington for first U.S. state visit in over a decade

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Wednesday for his first state visit to the United States in more than a decade, greeted by President Donald Trump at Joint Base Andrews outside the capital rather than at the White House. Trump's decision to meet Xi on the tarmac was unusual and reflected the ceremonial importance the U.S. president attached to the visit. First Lady Melania Trump said her husband chose the personal greeting because "they have a great relationship" and that "he's coming on our soil, and we need to welcome them with the most respect."

The three-day visit includes a formal state dinner at the White House on Thursday, followed by an arrival ceremony and troop review. The event aims to reciprocate the ceremonial grandeur of Trump's visit to China in May, when he was greeted with a red carpet, military honor guard, military band, and approximately 300 Chinese youth waving flags. The state dinner will include technology industry leaders including Jensen Huang of Nvidia and Elon Musk of SpaceX.

The visit occurs amid high geopolitical tensions between the two countries over trade, artificial intelligence, Trump's conflict with Iran, and Chinese designs on Taiwan. The White House has characterized the visit as an effort to maintain "strategic stability" between the rivals. Trump has publicly praised Xi as a "great leader" and described a warm personal relationship, though he has given Xi "a pass" on many contested issues, according to reporting.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized the lavish welcome on the Senate floor Tuesday, saying Trump should not have invited Xi "based on all of the troubling issues we have with President Xi and the Chinese Communist Party." Wicker suggested Trump should raise China's military buildup, support for Iran, and regional ambitions, describing Xi as "a brutal, unelected and oppressive dictator who seeks to dominate his neighbors."

Xi's connection to the United States predates his presidency by decades. In the 1980s, as a county-level official in northern China, he visited Iowa during a study trip, where he spent time on farms learning about agriculture and staying with a local family. He later developed a personal relationship with Terry Branstad, then Iowa's governor and later Trump's ambassador to China. Xi is now 73 years old and has led China for nearly 14 years, during which he has reshaped the Communist Party and China's global role.