President Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, before sending two B-1 bombers roaring overhead as the Chinese leader arrived in Washington for a three-day state visit.
Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, landed at Joint Base Andrews shortly before 6 p.m. Trump and first lady Melania Trump were waiting at the bottom of a roughly 100-foot red carpet to greet them, an unusual gesture for a sitting U.S. president.
The arrival ceremony featured a 21-person honor cordon, color guards carrying American and Chinese flags, a military band, and both countries’ national anthems.
Then came the bombers. Two B-1s conducted a flyover as the American national anthem played and Trump stood saluting. The aircraft were loud enough that Trump visibly winced and briefly ducked his head before smiling and appearing to remark on the noise to Xi.
Xi did not visibly react. The combination of diplomatic pageantry and American military power marked the opening moments of a summit between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies.
Trump’s decision to meet Xi at the airport was itself a departure from normal presidential protocol. Presidents typically greet visiting heads of state at the White House rather than traveling to the airport to meet them personally. Trump had also received a more limited welcome when he visited Beijing in May, when Chinese Vice President Han Zheng greeted him at the airport.
Melania Trump defended the decision Wednesday morning, saying Xi was “coming on our soil” and that the United States should “welcome them with the most respect.”
The lavish welcome comes as Washington and Beijing remain locked in competition over trade, technology, military power, and global influence.
Trump and Xi are expected to discuss trade and tariffs, rare-earth minerals, artificial intelligence, Taiwan, and China’s relationships with U.S. adversaries. The two countries are also trying to preserve a fragile trade truce that is scheduled to expire in November.
The summit is Xi’s first state visit to Washington in more than a decade and marks the second meeting between the two leaders this year.
The White House is planning another elaborate ceremony Thursday on the South Lawn, followed by talks between the presidents and a state dinner attended by prominent technology executives.