Chinese President Xi Jinping is heading to Washington for a visit, where he will be personally welcomed by his US counterpart Donald Trump on the runway at "Andrews" Air Force Base near the US capital, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
Trump's decision to welcome Xi at Andrews Air Force Base instead of the White House highlights the special attention the US president intends to accord his Chinese counterpart, who is making his first visit to the US in more than a decade, the agency also noted.
The White House did not release further details about today's meeting, but Trump is expected to participate in a ceremony welcoming Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan. The ceremony will kick off a three-day visit that is expected to be lavish and formal, even by White House standards.
The visit, which will be followed by a state dinner at the White House tomorrow, is a response to the grandeur with which Trump was welcomed in China in May this year, but it is also a showpiece at a time when tensions between the two geopolitical rivals are high over trade, artificial intelligence, the war in Iran and China's plans for Taiwan.
The state dinner on Thursday will also be attended by leaders from the technology sector, such as Jensen Huang of "Nvidia" and Elon Musk.
The two leaders will discuss important bilateral issues behind closed doors, despite low expectations that the meeting will achieve a significant breakthrough.
On Friday, Xi Jinping and his wife will tour the US National Archives, where they will view historical documents highlighting Sino-US relations.
In addition to using the visit to try to maintain "strategic stability" between the two countries, Trump appears to be making every diplomatic effort to showcase his abilities to Xi. He has showered him with praise, calling him "a great leader" and said the two have a warm relationship. All this, however, is happening while he is turning a blind eye to many issues related to China and Xi Jinping, the AP points out.
Roger Wicker, a Republican senator from Mississippi and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized the pompous welcome of the Chinese president to the United States and said that Trump should not have invited him in the first place "given all the concerns that we have with him and with the Chinese Communist Party." The senator also suggested a number of topics that Trump should discuss with Xi, such as "the goals of the massive strengthening of China's armed forces" and "China's clear support for Iran."