Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Washington for a state visit at the invitation of US President Donald Trump, opening a high-stakes round of diplomacy between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies as the Chinese leader said their two countries should be “partners, not rivals” because the interests of their two peoples “are deeply intertwined.” Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday afternoon for a state visit to the United States at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump https://t.co/A8ZhoSuOIo pic.twitter.com/hijqUp1zAF — China Xinhua News (@XHNews) September 24, 2026 Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were greeted by Trump and first lady Melania Trump at Joint Base Andrews in an unusually elaborate planeside welcome. American children presented flowers to the Chinese couple while honour guards lined the red carpet. The ceremony featured a 21-gun salute, the national anthems of both countries and a military flyover. US children present flowers to Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at Joint Base Andrews in the United States, Sept. 23, 2026. PHOTO: XINHUA Trump’s decision to greet Xi personally at the airport marked the first time in 11 years that a US president had welcomed a foreign leader at Joint Base Andrews, according to C-SPAN. Xi’s visit is his first to Washington in more than a decade and comes just months after Trump travelled to China in May for talks with the Chinese president. The exchange of visits underscores the importance both sides attach to maintaining high-level communication despite persistent strategic rivalry. Xi calls for partnership over rivalry In a written statement issued after his arrival, Xi called on China and the United States to be “partners, not rivals”, saying the interests of the two peoples were deeply intertwined. “China and the United States should be partners, not rivals,” Xi said, adding that the rejuvenation of China and Trump’s goal of “making America great again” could proceed alongside each other. He said the two countries could help each other succeed while contributing to global well-being. Read: China says opposes 'illegal unilateral sanctions' as US pressures Iran with secondary sanctions Xi also referred to the understanding reached during Trump’s May visit to China to build a “constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability”. He said the agreement had provided strategic guidance for the future development of bilateral relations. The Chinese president said Washington and Beijing should work in the same direction and pursue a relationship in which cooperation remained the mainstay, competition was moderate and differences were manageable. Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump standing for a photo on the red carpet. PHOTO: XINHUA He said the two countries needed to find the “right way to get along in the new era”, arguing that although the world was changing, the historical logic of peaceful coexistence between China and the United States remained unchanged. Xi said he looked forward to detailed discussions with Trump on bilateral relations and the international situation, as well as to expanding exchanges and cooperation in different fields. He also said he hoped to engage with people from different sections of American society to strengthen ties between the two peoples. A gun salute is fired to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews for a state visit to the United States at the invitation of US President Donald Trump, September 23, 2026. PHOTO: XINHUA Trade truce hangs over summit The summit comes against a backdrop of intense economic competition and a fragile trade truce between Washington and Beijing. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday, following talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, that an agreement suspending a trade war had been extended until January 10. The confrontation had previously seen mutual tariffs rise above 100%, according to the material supplied for the report. The extension could provide temporary relief to businesses while giving negotiators additional time to address unresolved trade disputes. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has said Washington and Beijing are expected to make announcements concerning agriculture and non-tariff barriers. China is also reportedly making progress on a commitment to purchase 200 Boeing aircraft, although no additional orders were indicated as imminent. People familiar with the plans said the discussions could also produce agreements on reducing some tariffs, combating drug trafficking and expanding military-to-military communication. Trump is also expected to raise the issue of Americans and others detained in China. AI emerges as new area for cooperation Artificial intelligence is another potential area of discussion. Officials from both countries have explored mechanisms to prevent AI-related incidents from escalating into wider conflicts. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has referred to the possibility of a mechanism comparable to the Cold War-era hotline, intended to avert dangerous incidents involving increasingly powerful technologies. Read more: China's Xi to visit the US this week, with bilateral ties, trade, world peace on agenda The guest list for Thursday’s state dinner reflects the importance of technology and business ties. It includes senior executives from Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, OpenAI, Tesla and Nvidia. Taiwan remains key flashpoint Beyond trade and technology, Taiwan remains one of the most sensitive issues confronting the two governments. Sources briefed on the discussions told Reuters that Xi was expected to press Trump to halt US arms sales to Taiwan, potentially during a planned visit by the two leaders to the US National Archives on Friday. Trump had said after the May summit that he was holding an arms package worth about $14 billion in abeyance, describing it as a negotiating tool. Iran war adds geopolitical pressure The leaders are also expected to discuss the war with Iran, which has disrupted energy supplies and trade. The wider geopolitical environment adds pressure to the summit. For Trump, the Washington meeting comes at the end of a week of diplomacy that began with his two-day stay in New York for the UN General Assembly. The supplied material says the nearly seven-month war with Iran has pushed up energy prices in the United States, while Republicans face difficult congressional elections in November. Analysts expect the immediate results to centre on extending the trade truce and possibly establishing cooperation on AI-related risks. Former US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell characterised the summit as an opportunity for the two leaders to project strength as much as a forum for substantive negotiations. The two leaders could have another opportunity to meet later this year, potentially on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China in November or the G20 meetings in the United States in December. Deep economic ties constrain rivalry The summit comes at a pivotal moment in China-US relations and could provide an opportunity to place bilateral ties on a more stable footing. Xi’s visit, coming only months after Trump’s trip to China, marks a rare exchange of visits between the two leaders within a short period and could open a new chapter in relations, although a single meeting is unlikely to resolve the countries’ longstanding disputes. Chinese President Xi Jinping is welcomed upon his arrival in the United States on September 23, 2026. PHOTO: XINHUA Economic and trade ties remain a major pillar of the relationship despite Washington’s protectionist policies. More than 7,000 Chinese enterprises operate in the United States, while US companies have established more than 84,000 enterprises in China. Bilateral trade and investment support millions of jobs in the United States. Also read: Iran may expand war to Indian Ocean if US attacks again: supreme leader's adviser A 2026 survey by the US-China Business Council found that 95% of respondents described their China operations as somewhat to very important to maintaining global competitiveness. The figures underscore the depth of commercial links between the two economies and the continuing interests of businesses in maintaining access to each other’s markets. Economic differences, meanwhile, could be addressed through continued consultations based on equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit. Turning trade and economic ties into instruments of political or security competition risks fracturing supply chains, distorting markets and raising costs for businesses and consumers. Greater stability does not necessarily mean eliminating competition. The challenge for both sides is to manage competition through established rules while preventing disputes from escalating into confrontation. Taiwan tests broader relationship Taiwan remains a central concern in the bilateral relationship. Beijing regards the Taiwan question as a core interest, while Washington maintains its own longstanding policy toward Taipei. How the two governments manage their differences over the island will remain a key test for the broader relationship. People-to-people exchanges could provide another avenue for stabilising ties. Xi proposed in 2023 that 50,000 young Americans be invited to China over five years for exchanges and study, a target that was reached ahead of schedule this year. Global stakes extend beyond Washington and Beijing Beyond their immediate bilateral interests, the two countries’ ability to maintain a stable relationship carries wider implications. As the world’s two largest economies, their cooperation or confrontation can affect global trade, supply chains, investment, technology and international efforts to address common challenges. The Washington summit therefore offers both leaders an opportunity to keep dialogue open, manage differences and explore areas of practical cooperation, even as major disagreements over trade, Taiwan, technology and strategic competition remain unresolved. With additional input from agencies