WASHINGTON – President Xi Jinping arrived at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday afternoon for a state visit to the United States at the invitation of US President Donald Trump.
The visit has drawn wide attention as the two countries seek to stabilize their relationship, deepen cooperation and work together to address global challenges.
RARE PLANESIDE WELCOME
Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, received a rare planeside greeting by Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, upon their arrival. After Xi and Peng descended from their plane, the two presidential couples shook hands and exchanged greetings on the tarmac.
A red carpet was rolled out for the Chinese presidential couple, with honor guards lining up on both sides to pay their respects. Two American children presented bouquets of flowers to Xi and Peng.
The welcome ceremony also included a 21-gun salute, the playing of the national anthems of both countries and a military flyover.
The 21-gun salute is among the highest military honors accorded to a visiting head of state, but is rarely rendered at an airport.
The gesture is notable even by broader diplomatic standards, as the arrangement has been described by US media as a “rare” and “unusual” departure from protocol, as US presidents typically receive visiting foreign leaders at the White House rather than greet them at the airport.
Xi’s arrival kicked off a three-day state visit to the United States, which comes just months after Trump’s China trip in May. The exchange of visits between the two heads of state within six months is of historic and milestone significance, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.
PARTNERS, NOT RIVALS
In a written speech upon his arrival, Xi extended sincere greetings and best wishes to the US people on behalf of the Chinese people.
China and the United States are both great countries, and the two peoples are both great peoples, Xi said, adding that the two peoples have maintained friendly exchanges for a long time and their interests are deeply intertwined.
China and the United States should be partners, not rivals, he said, noting that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand, and that the two countries can help each other succeed and advance the well-being of the whole world.
Xi noted that he and Trump agreed to build a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability during Trump’s visit to China in May, which has provided strategic guidance for the future development of bilateral ties.
China and the United States should work in the same direction and promote a stable relationship featuring cooperation as the mainstay, moderate competition, manageable differences and promises of peace, Xi said.
He said China and the United States, as two major countries, should find a right way to get along in the new era.
Xi emphasized that the world is developing and times are changing, but the historical logic of peaceful coexistence between China and the United States has not changed, the goodwill of friendly exchanges between the two peoples has not changed, and the general expectations of the international community for China and the United States have not changed.
Xi said he looks forward to having in-depth exchanges with Trump on major issues concerning bilateral relations and the world situation, constantly enriching the constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability, and expanding the space for exchanges and cooperation in various fields between the two countries.
With joint efforts, Xi said he believes the visit is sure to be fruitful, and will enhance the well-being of the two peoples and add hope for world peace.
WIDE EXPECTATIONS
It is a very important visit, coming at a very important time and against the backdrop of a particularly difficult global political landscape, said Roland Henwood, a lecturer and political commentator at the Department of Political Sciences at the University of Pretoria.
The significance of the visit extends well beyond bilateral ties, as what happens between China and the United States affects the whole world, said Henwood.
Noting that the two leaders have a good relationship and hold regular contacts and good communication, he said that it is vital to have sustained engagement at the presidential level to provide strategic direction and stability for the bilateral ties.
Erastus Mwencha, former deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission, said the state visit sends an important signal – diplomacy remains available as an instrument for managing differences and preventing miscalculation.
It should also be read as part of a sequence rather than an isolated event – the Busan meeting, Trump’s state visit to China in May, and now this reciprocal visit – each building the kind of sustained contact that a single meeting cannot provide, said Mwencha.
Beyond high-level diplomacy, experts pointed to several areas where continued China-U.S. cooperation could have broader international implications.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is one such area. China and the United States have the technological capabilities and international influence to play an important role in addressing the potential risks posed by AI, said Pascal Sery, a financial expert and former member of the National Assembly of Cote d’Ivoire.
They can strengthen dialogue and cooperation on AI safety, governance, ethics and international rules, and work toward broader international consensus, he said.
Abu Bakr al-Deeb, an advisor at the Cairo-based Arab Center for Research and Studies, said counternarcotics is one of the areas where cooperation between China and the United States can produce very practical results.
Drug trafficking and other forms of transnational crime do not stop at national borders, so countries have a common interest in sharing information and coordinating their efforts, he said.
There have already been concrete examples of cooperation this year as Chinese and U.S. authorities have worked together on drug-related cases, including cases involving trafficking and new psychoactive substances, he added.
Experts also pointed to the broader role the two countries can play in addressing global challenges. Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, said the two countries, as the world’s two largest economies, have a responsibility to reduce friction and help safeguard the stability of the global economy and supply chains.
Achieving stability of their relationship is “a public good,” he said. “Reduced U.S.-China friction lowers the risk of global supply chain fragmentation.”
– Xinhua
