Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at the White House, where he was welcomed by his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, just a few hours after being welcomed at Andrews Air Force Base.
Before the official dinner hosted by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, Xi will attend a military parade and a fighter jet demonstration.
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At the meeting between the two leaders, the main topics on the agenda are artificial intelligence and the trade war between Beijing and Washington.
It should be noted that protocol dictates that the U.S. president almost never goes to the airport to greet a foreign leader.
However, Donald Trump defied this protocol yesterday, Wednesday, by personally welcoming his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, while his Treasury Secretary simultaneously announced that the truce in the trade war between Washington and Beijing would be extended until at least early 2027.
The Air China aircraft carrying Xi Jinping landed yesterday (around 12:40 a.m. today, Cyprus time) at Andrews Air Force Base, not far from Washington, where a 21-man honor guard and fighter jets had taken their positions in honor of the Chinese president, who is beginning a three-day visit to the U.S., and a red carpet had been laid out. A 21-gun salute was fired, and the two national anthems were played by an Air Force band.
The U.S. president, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, shook hands with his counterpart, who traveled with his wife, Peng Liyuan; the couples walked side by side, with the two heads of state leading the way, down the red carpet for the brief welcoming ceremony, which included a flyover by military aircraft, notably a formation of B-1 bombers and F-22 fighters—the kind of spectacle the Republican takes a liking to. They then departed separately.
READ ALSO: U.S. and China Extend Trade Truce Until January 10 | AlphaNews
