Trump greets China’s Xi Jinping on arrival for three-day US trip

Trump takes rare step of meeting foreign leader at the airport, underscoring significance of US-China relationship.

US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington, DC on Wednesday [Alex Brandon/AP Photo]

United States President Donald Trump has welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping as he arrived in the US for a three-day trip focused on issues such as security, trade and technology.

Trump took the rare step of meeting the Chinese leader in person at Joint Base Andrews in the state of Maryland on Wednesday, the first president to do so in recent memory.

The US president and First Lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and his wife on the tarmac during a welcoming ceremony, where a red carpet was rolled out and the couples exchanged handshakes. Trump and Xi then walked side by side, flanked by US soldiers, before standing for a gunfire salute and the US national anthem.

The in-person greeting is a sign of the significance that Washington ascribes to its relationship with Beijing , whose meteoric economic rise over the last several decades has transformed it into a global superpower capable of rivalling the United States.

Despite tense relations that worsened after the Trump administration placed high tariffs on Chinese goods – a move that was met with retaliatory measures from Beijing – Trump has expressed personal affinity for Xi and his desire for strong ties with China.

The Chinese president’s trip to the US will include a state dinner, attended by leaders of the country’s powerful tech industry , a military ceremony at the White House, and a visit to the National Archives, home to documents of historical and cultural significance such as the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

But both countries remain wary of the other as they compete for political and economic influence. The trip is likely to include discussion of issues such as the US war on Iran, trade, technology , rare-earth minerals and US ties to Taiwan , the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory.

An 11-month deal that offered temporary relief from punishing tariffs between the two countries is set to expire on November 10.

特朗普罕见地在机场会见外国领导人，凸显了美中关系的重要性。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普和中国国家主席习近平周三在华盛顿特区郊外的安德鲁斯联合基地会面。[Alex Brandon/AP Photo]

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普对抵达美国进行为期三天访问的中国国家主席习近平表示欢迎，此次访问的重点是安全、贸易和技术等问题。

周三，特朗普罕见地在马里兰州安德鲁斯联合基地与中国领导人举行了面对面会晤，他是近年来第一位这样做的美国总统。

美国总统特朗普和第一夫人梅拉尼娅·特朗普在停机坪上迎接了习近平主席及其夫人。欢迎仪式上铺设了红毯，两对夫妇握手致意。随后，特朗普和习近平在美军士兵的护卫下并肩而行，接受鸣枪致敬并奏响美国国歌。

这种当面问候表明了华盛顿对与北京关系的重视程度。过去几十年来，北京的经济飞速发展，使其成为能够与美国匹敌的全球超级大国。

尽管特朗普政府对中国商品加征高额关税后，中美关系紧张恶化（此举遭到北京方面的报复措施），但特朗普仍表达了对习近平的个人好感以及与中国建立牢固关系的愿望。

中国国家主席此次访美行程将包括出席国宴（中国强大的科技行业领袖将出席）、在白宫举行的军事仪式以及参观国家档案馆（馆藏有美国宪法和独立宣言等具有历史和文化意义的文件）。

但两国在争夺政治和经济影响力方面仍然对彼此保持警惕。此次访问可能包括讨论美国对伊朗的战争、贸易、科技、稀土矿产以及美国与台湾的关系等问题。中国声称台湾是其领土的一部分，但台湾是一个自治岛屿。

两国之间为期 11 个月的协议旨在暂时减轻惩罚性关税，该协议将于 11 月 10 日到期。