Photos: China’s Xi Jinping receives rare welcome as Trump summit begins
The greeting broke with normal protocol, where U.S. presidents greet State Visit guests at the White House.
ByRFA staff
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on Wednesday for a three-day visit.
Trump and U.S. first lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan on a 100-foot-long red carpet rolled out on the tarmac beside Xi’s plane at the Maryland military base that hosts Air Force One.
A military band played, and cannons blasted ceremonial fire as they greeted each other. Trump winced as a loud B-1 military bomber flew overhead. The leaders then went their separate ways, ahead of meetings scheduled for Thursday.
xi-jinping-trump-summit U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump greet Chinese President Xi Jinping and China's First Lady Peng Liyuan upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sept. 23, 2026. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP) xi-jinping-trump-summit U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. first lady Melania Trump walk with China's President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan upon their arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Sept. 23, 2026. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) xi-jinping-trump-summit China's President Xi Jinping receives flowers upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Sept. 23, 2026. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) xi-jinping-trump-summit Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan hugs a girl as she arrives with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of a state visit at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Sept. 23, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) xi-jinping-trump-summit U.S. President Donald Trump shows the way to Chinese President Xi Jinping as he arrives ahead of a state visit at Joint Base Andrews, Sept. 23, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) xi-jinping-trump-summit U.S. President Donald Trump salutes next to Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Sept. 23, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) xi-jinping-trump-summit U.S. President Donald Trump greets Chinese President Xi Jinping upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sept. 23, 2026. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP) xi-jinping-trump-summit U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan upon their arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Sept. 23, 2026. (Kent Nishimura/AFP)
