US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington on Wednesday for a three-day visit aimed at easing tensions between the two superpowers. The leaders met as both sides remain divided over trade, technology, Taiwan and Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that the United States and China have agreed to extend their 11-month China trade truce.
The truce was set to expire on November 10. The new deal will keep it in place through January 10. This limited agreement could help calm global markets that were shaken by last year’s intense tariff war. At the arrival ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump personally greeted Xi. The two leaders and their wives shook hands, spoke briefly and posed for photos while a military band played and a B-1 bomber flew overhead. It was the first time in 11 years that a US president had welcomed a foreign leader at that air base.
In a written statement, Xi said China and the United States should be partners rather than rivals. He made no direct mention of the trade extension. Despite the positive signal on tariffs, deep differences remain. The two countries still clash over export controls on rare-earth minerals and computer chips, China’s links with Iran and American support for Taiwan.
Talks scheduled for Thursday could produce smaller deals. Officials may agree to lower tariffs in certain sectors, cooperate against drug trafficking and expand military-to-military contacts. Trump is also expected to press for the release of some Americans held in China. The leaders plan a highly scripted visit that includes a state dinner with major technology executives such as Apple’s Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and OpenAI’s Sam Altman.
Analysts note that both presidents arrive with different strengths. Trump faces public frustration over the ongoing conflict with Iran and tough midterm election prospects for his party. Xi oversees a strong export machine but deals with weak domestic spending and a troubled property market. Still, both sides see value in projecting stability between the world’s largest factory and its biggest consumer market.
The summit is unlikely to produce major breakthroughs. Instead it offers a chance to manage competition and keep channels open. Another meeting between Trump and Xi is already viewed as possible later this year at either the APEC summit in China or the G20 gatherings in the United States.
