Trump rolls out red carpet for Xi as high-stakes summit begins

(L-R) First lady of China Peng Liyuan, Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Donald Trump, and First Lady Melania Trump walk on the red carpet during an arrival ceremony on September 23, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Chip Somodevilla/Getty hide caption toggle caption Chip Somodevilla/Getty WASHINGTON — President Trump has taken rare measures to ensure that Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his delegation, including Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan, are hosted with the pomp of the highest order for VIPs making a state visit to Washington. On Wednesday, Trump personally welcomed Xi at Joint Base Andrews when the Chinese leader landed, with a state arrival ceremony featuring 479 military personnel and a multi-aircraft flyover. Later today, Trump plans to host a state dinner for Xi and Peng that, according to a senior U.S. official, will include American executives including Tesla's Elon Musk, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Google's Sundar Pichai, and Nvidia's Jensen Huang. "Trump will show Xi courtesy and respect. The symbolism will account for a large amount of the substance of the visit," said Ryan Haas, Director of the China Center at the Brookings Institution. "The summit is desig...