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In a grand welcome, US President Donald Trump greeted his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews, just outside of Washington, D.C, on Wednesday, for his three-day state visit, as their top officials agreed to prolong a trade truce until January.
The truce, which includes both countries agreeing to scale back tariffs and not impose new trade restrictions, was announced by Trump’s Treasury Secretary, Bessent, during a Fox News Channel interview, “I don’t know whether a bigger deal can be done. I don’t know whether we will just roll the current deal,” Bessent said.
However, upcoming international summits in China in November and Florida in December could give the two sides new opportunities to discuss the matter, the Treasury Secretary added.
Xi says China and the US ‘should be partners not rivals’
In a statement upon Xi’s arrival in the US, accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, the leader wrote that his country and the US “should be partners, not rivals. Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand and the two countries can contribute to each other’s success, thereby benefiting the wider world.”
In comments released by Chinese state media Xi also said that he was looking “forward to in-depth exchanges with President Trump on major issues concerning our bilateral relations and the global situation,”.
Trade alongside artificial intelligence, Trump’s war with Iran and China’s position on Taiwan have been among the biggest issues between the two superpowers, but this visit is expected to be more about show than substance.
Backlash among republicans
Meanwhile Xi’s welcoming has caused backlash among some of the Republicans, Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticised the “lavish welcome.” saying during a speech on Tuesday in the Senate that Trump should not have invited the Chinese leader “based on all of the troubling issues we have with President Xi and the Chinese Communist Party.”
As Secretary of State, Marco Rubio said that the US and China need to maintain their relationship at the highest level since the countries are “the two largest economies in the world” and “probably the two most powerful militaries in the world.”
Xi’s first state visit to the US in more than a decade is expected to be marked by a formal welcome banquet, another flyover, talks in the Oval Office and a state banquet at the White House on Thursday.
Before wrapping up on Friday after tea at the White House and a visit to the National Archives, home the US Declaration of Independance.