Chinese President Xi Jinping begins a three-day state visit to Washington on Wednesday, with US President Donald Trump expected to give him an unusual planeside welcome at Joint Base Andrews.
Trump is expected to join an arrival ceremony with Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at the military base outside Washington, rather than wait for the Chinese leader at the White House.
The gesture reflects the importance Trump is placing on Xi’s first state visit to the United States in more than a decade. The visit will include a formal state dinner at the White House on Thursday, designed in part to reciprocate the elaborate reception Trump received during his visit to China in May.
The high-profile ceremonies come amid tensions between the two countries over trade, artificial intelligence, the US war with Iran and China’s policy toward Taiwan.
Trump has repeatedly praised Xi as a “great leader” and described their relationship warmly, while saying he wants to maintain “strategic stability” between Washington and Beijing.
The planned welcome has drawn criticism from some US lawmakers. Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized what he called the “lavish welcome” and urged Trump to raise issues including China’s military expansion and its support for Iran.
Trump has made clear that he wants to impress Xi during the visit, recently highlighting preparations for a new helicopter landing pad at the White House.
The pageantry is expected to continue Thursday with a formal White House arrival ceremony and a military honor guard review, followed by a black-tie state dinner attended by business and technology leaders, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
The two presidents are also expected to hold closed-door discussions on trade, technology and other contentious issues, although expectations for major breakthroughs remain low.
On Friday, Xi and Peng are scheduled to have private tea with Trump and first lady Melania Trump before visiting the National Archives to view historic documents highlighting ties between the two countries.