Xi arrives in Washington, kicking off his state visit with rare planeside welcome from Trump

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Wednesday (September 23, 2026), where he was to be met with a rare planeside greeting from President Donald Trump, who was there to welcome his counterpart on the tarmac instead of waiting for him to drive up to the White House.

Mr. Trump's decision to greet Mr. Xi at Joint Base Andrews just outside Washington rather than receiving him at the executive residence shows how far the U.S. President is going to honour China's leader as he made his first state visit to the U.S. capital in more than a decade.