Trump Welcomes Xi: Trade Truce Extended

By Staff, Agencies 

Washington and Beijing agreed to extend their trade truce by two months, through January 10, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday, as US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington for a three-day state visit marked by elaborate ceremony but low expectations of a breakthrough.

Bessent told Fox News that he and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng agreed to push back the truce, which had been set to expire on November 10. China's embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where a red carpet was rolled out beside the Chinese leader's plane. It was the first time a US president has personally welcomed a foreign leader at the base since Barack Obama received Pope Francis in 2015, according to C-SPAN. The visit is Xi's first trip to the United States in nearly three years.

The two leaders exchanged brief remarks before parting ahead of formal talks scheduled for Thursday.

The visit is set to include a state dinner with leading technology executives, among them Apple's Tim Cook, Nvidia's Jensen Huang, and OpenAI's Sam Altman, along with a White House military ceremony and a visit to the National Archives.

People familiar with the plans told Reuters that Xi is expected to press Beijing's position on the island of Taiwan, a subject Washington would prefer to avoid, while Trump is expected to keep US export restrictions on advanced technology in place over Chinese objections.

Thursday's talks could still produce narrower agreements, including tariff reductions in specific sectors, cooperation on drug trafficking, expanded military-to-military communication, and further dialogue on artificial intelligence. Trump is also expected to press for the release of Americans detained in China.

As in their two previous meetings since 2025, the leaders are not expected to hold a joint press conference or issue a joint statement, with each side instead planning separate announcements.

The summit comes at a difficult moment for Trump, whose approval ratings have fallen as public discontent grows over the nearly seven-month US war on Iran, which has driven up energy prices at home and left Republicans facing tough prospects in November's midterm elections.

Xi, by contrast, arrives in a stronger position, with China's export sector surging even as it contends with weak household spending and a prolonged property downturn at home.