Xi lands in US for high-stakes summit with Trump amid deep tensions

Chinese President Xi Jinping landed at Joint Base Andrews late Wednesday afternoon after a 15-hour flight where he was greeted on the tarmac by US President Donald Trump in an unprecedented move for a top American leader.

The closely watched visit – Xi’s first summit in the United States in 11 years – comes as the two nations grapple with a host of thorny issues beneath the flowery language and statements of friendship, including artificial intelligence, critical minerals, tariffs, Ukraine, the Iran war, Taiwan and military relations.

Xi, accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, senior Chinese official Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, was feted with an arrival ceremony.

Xi’s arrival has been framed as a mirror image of Trump’s summit in Beijing four months earlier. The time on the ground will be limited to 48 hours; there will be no side visits outside the capital. The programme will include a state dinner and military viewing. The carefully choreographed visit is in part meant to underscore respect and the equality of the two wary competitors, of particular importance to Beijing.