New Delhi: On Wednesday, China’s President Xi Jinping made it to Washington to kick off a three-day state visit. On the tarmac the president, Donald Trump, shook his hand, an unusual courtesy for a foreign head of state.
The plane landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland just before 6 p.m. EDT, before Xi was able to reach Maryland. The two children gave bouquets to Trump and First Lady Melania Trump as they met Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan at the bottom of a 100-foot red carpet. A cannon salute, a colour guard and 21 man honour cordon, each with both national flags. There were six F-16s and six F-22s on the tarmac and the Air Force band played the national anthems.
The welcome culminated in two B-1 bombers flying over the area. So many U.S. military service platoons participated that the two leaders and their spouses spoke but reporters were not able to hear what was said. Military hardware was on display, and it wasn’t lost on a leader who frequently views Washington as the country’s top strategic threat.
The news was accompanied by a trade announcement. During the interview with Fox News Channel, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the two countries agreed on a trade truce that will be extended until Jan. 10, while Trump was congratulating Xi on what he was calling his “historic” proposal. Both sides cut tariffs, and refrain from implementing new trade measures, under the truce. He didn’t know if a larger agreement could be made or if it would merely be extended, Bessent said. The additional time allows the leaders to have some discussions on the problems at the next international summits in China (November) and Florida (December).
The trip has come in for criticism at home. But Trump has been treated lavishly after his meeting with Xi—and that is ruining his standing among some key Republicans and garnering widespread condemnations from Democrats. Such a warm welcome will cost naught from Beijing, critics say, with no clear concessions made in return. Proponents of the viewpoint believe that personal relations between the two leaders will be the best means of preventing trade issues from becoming too inflammatory.
The meeting is a follow-up to a meeting held in Beijing by the two leaders in May. The honeymoon will be decided at the talks this week in Washington, as it will be, whether the goodwill shown at Andrews will translate into a final accord or a break in a bigger competition.
