US President Donald Trump will personally greet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews when Xi arrives in Washington next Wednesday, a rare airport reception confirmed by a US official speaking on background.
Trump will attend Xi’s arrival ceremony at Andrews, where the Chinese president’s aircraft is expected around 4pm local time on September 23. The president almost never meets visiting heads of state at the airfield, typically waiting at the White House instead.
The gesture does not perfectly mirror what Trump received in Beijing earlier this year. When Air Force One landed at Beijing Capital International Airport on May 13, Xi did not come to the tarmac to greet him.
Vice-President Han Zheng led that reception, joined by ambassadors, senior foreign ministry officials, an honour guard, a band, and flag-waving youth. Xi’s formal welcome took place the following day outside the Great Hall of the People, featuring a military review that Trump later called “incredible”.