Warm welcome, trade truce extended: the takeaways as Xi arrives i

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the United States on Wednesday for his first state visit there in over a decade, with US President Donald Trump greeting him on the tarmac ahead of their summit.

Trump’s rare tarmac welcome

Trump met Xi at Joint Base Andrews just after 6pm, in what the source described as a rare gesture before the summit.

The two leaders were joined by their wives, Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, during the arrival.

Xi’s arrival marked a high-profile opening to the visit, with the greeting taking place before formal summit discussions.

Trade truce pushed to January

As Xi and Peng touched down in America, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that the two countries had agreed to extend the Busan trade deal from November 10 to January 10.

The extension keeps the trade truce in place beyond its previous timeline.

The truce had already been extended in August, according to the source.

Together, the rare welcome and the renewed trade pause formed the key early takeaways from Xi’s arrival in the US.

Source: South China Morning Post