(2nd LD) Trump gives Xi rare welcome at military base on eve of high-stakes summit

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(ATTN: UPDATES with Bessent's comment in 5th para: RECASTS throughout) By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping in a rare welcome at a military base near Washington Wednesday, as Xi kicked off his three-day state visit to the United States for a summit on trade, artificial intelligence (AI), security and other key issues.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump gave Xi and Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan the rare welcome on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on the eve of the leaders' White House summit -- the third in-person meeting following their previous talks in Busan, South Korea, last October, and in Beijing in May.

Trump's greeting upon Xi's arrival rather than at the presidential compound underscored the importance the U.S. president attaches to the visit by the leader of the Asian superpower, as the high-stakes summit is set to feature crucial issues, including a bilateral trade truce, AI safety and Taiwan's security.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping participate in an arrival ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sept. 23, 2026, in this photo released by the Associated Press. (Yonhap)

This week's summit is a crucial event for both leaders given that Trump seeks stable ties with Xi ahead of the November midterm elections, with Xi angling for good summit outcomes ahead of a key political gathering -- the fifth plenum of the Communist Party's Central Committee set for next month, observers said.

Among the key agenda items for the summit is expected to be the two countries' trade truce, which was set to expire in November. After talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that Washington and Beijing agreed to extend "the Busan agreement" until Jan. 10, according to Reuters.

The U.S. and China reached the current truce during their summit in Busan last year, under which Washington agreed to suspend increased tariffs on Chinese goods, with Beijing suspending new export controls on rare earths and other critical minerals.

AI is expected to be another key topic for the Trump-Xi meeting as the two great powers have been caught in an intensifying competition over AI leadership amid growing safety and security concerns associated with the evolving technology.

Reports have said that the Trump administration has proposed the establishment of a "notification mechanism" for bilateral communication to discuss dangerous AI events with substantial security implications.

U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk with China's President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan upon their arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sept. 23, 2026, in this photo released by Reuters. (Yonhap)

The upcoming summit is also expected to touch on the security of Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that China regards as part of its territory.

In addition, the leaders could also discuss North Korea-related issues as Trump intends to resume diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this year.

Speculation has arisen that Trump could seek a meeting with Kim during his next trip to Asia, likely for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen in November.

During their Beijing summit, the leaders confirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea, according to a White House fact sheet. But it remains uncertain whether the leaders reaffirmed the denuclearization goal at this week's talks given that both sides seek better ties with Pyongyang.

Before the summit, Trump and the first lady will host a state arrival ceremony for Xi and the Chinese first lady, which will be held on the South Lawn, State Floor and Rose Garden of the White House, and feature 479 military personnel, representing all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, according to the U.S. first lady's office.

The welcome ceremony will include a military review in the Rose Garden as well as a military flyover featuring a B-2 bomber and four F-22 fighter jets.

On Thursday evening, the U.S. president and first lady will greet Xi and the Chinese first lady at the North Portico of the White House for a state dinner in the East Room.

On Friday morning, the presidential couples will travel to the National Archives in Washington where they will view a variety of important records and documents significant to the U.S.-China relationship throughout history.

Xi last visited Washington in 2015.

sshluck@yna.co.kr (END)

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(2nd LD) Trump gives Xi rare welcome at military base on eve of high-stakes summit

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

（注意：第五段已根据Bessent的评论进行更新：全文重写）宋尚昊

华盛顿，9月23日（韩联社）——周三，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在华盛顿附近的一个军事基地罕见地迎接了中国国家主席习近平。习近平开始对美国进行为期三天的国事访问，此行将举行峰会，讨论贸易、人工智能、安全和其他关键问题。

在美中两国领导人白宫峰会前夕，特朗普总统和第一夫人梅拉尼娅·特朗普在马里兰州安德鲁斯联合基地的停机坪上，罕见地迎接了习近平主席和中国第一夫人彭丽媛。这是继去年10月在韩国釜山和今年5月在北京举行会谈之后，两国领导人的第三次面对面会晤。

特朗普选择在习近平抵达时迎接他，而不是在国家主席府迎接，这凸显了美国总统对这位亚洲超级大国领导人访问的重视，因为这次备受瞩目的峰会将聚焦关键议题，包括双边贸易休战、人工智能安全和台湾安全。

这张由美联社发布的照片​​显示，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普和中国国家主席习近平于2026年9月23日在马里兰州安德鲁斯联合基地参加抵达仪式。（韩联社）

观察人士表示，鉴于特朗普希望在11月中期选举前与习近平建立稳定的关系，而习近平也希望在下个月即将召开的中共中央第五次全会这一重要政治会议前取得良好的峰会成果，本周的峰会对两位领导人来说都至关重要。

预计此次峰会的主要议程之一是两国贸易休战协议，该协议原定于11月到期。据路透社报道，美国财政部长斯科特·贝森特在与中国国务院副总理贺立峰会谈后告诉福克斯新闻，华盛顿和北京同意将“釜山协议”延长至1月10日。

美国和中国在去年釜山峰会上达成了目前的休战协议，根据该协议，华盛顿同意暂停对中国商品加征关税，而北京则暂停对稀土和其他关键矿产实施新的出口管制。

人工智能预计将成为特朗普与习近平会晤的另一个关键议题，因为随着这项不断发展的技术带来的安全隐患日益增加，这两个大国在人工智能领域的领导地位竞争也日趋激烈。

有报道称，特朗普政府提议建立一种“通报机制”，用于双边沟通，讨论具有重大安全影响的危险人工智能事件。

2026年9月23日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普和第一夫人梅拉尼娅·特朗普与中国国家主席习近平及其夫人彭丽媛抵达位于马里兰州的安德鲁斯联合基地。路透社发布的这张照片显示了这一场景。（韩联社）

即将举行的峰会预计还将涉及台湾安全问题。台湾是一个自治的民主政体，中国视其为领土的一部分。

此外，两国领导人还可以讨论与朝鲜有关的问题，因为特朗普计划在今年晚些时候恢复与朝鲜领导人金正恩的外交对话。

有猜测认为，特朗普可能会在下次亚洲之行中寻求与金正恩会面，此次亚洲之行很可能是参加11月在深圳举行的亚太经合组织峰会。

据白宫一份情况说明书显示，两国领导人在北京峰会上确认了实现朝鲜半岛无核化的共同目标。但鉴于双方都寻求与平壤改善关系，目前尚不确定两国领导人在本周的会谈中是否重申了无核化目标。

峰会前，特朗普和第一夫人将为习近平主席和中国第一夫人举行国事欢迎仪式。据美国第一夫人办公室称，仪式将在白宫南草坪、国宴厅和玫瑰园举行，届时将有479名军人参加，代表美国武装部队的各个分支。

欢迎仪式将在玫瑰园举行阅兵式，还将有 B-2 轰炸机和四架 F-22 战斗机进行飞行表演。

周四晚上，美国总统和第一夫人将在白宫北门廊迎接习近平主席和中国第一夫人，随后在东厅举行国宴。

周五上午，总统夫妇将前往华盛顿的国家档案馆，参观对美中关系历史具有重要意义的各种重要记录和文件。

习近平上一次访问华盛顿是在2015年。

sshluck@yna.co.kr（完）

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