Trump Greets Xi on Tarmac; US-China Trade Truce Extended — SkimNews
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- Donald Trump welcomed Xi Jinping on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday evening — an unusually personal step, since US presidents typically receive foreign leaders at the White House.
- The arrival ceremony featured a 100-foot red carpet flanked by US service members, a flyover by two B-1 bombers, and a presentation of both countries' flags and national anthems.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the US and China agreed to extend the "Busan agreement" trade truce until January 10, after meeting Chinese vice-premier He Lifeng earlier on Wednesday.
- The White House invited executives from OpenAI, Apple, xAI, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Meta to a state dinner for Xi on Thursday, with AI competition expected to dominate the agenda.
- Trump dismissed AI safety concerns on Truth Social last week, writing "WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS" and accusing critics of running a "SICK conspiracy" against AI and data centers.
- Xi is scheduled to receive a 21-gun salute on the South Lawn, private tea with Trump and Melania, and a tour of the National Archives during the two-day visit.
Why it matters: Trump's decision to greet Xi on the tarmac — rather than at the White House — signals unusually high personal investment in the relationship, while the same-day extension of the Busan trade truce to January 10 and a tech-leader dinner show the administration pairing pageantry with concrete deal-making on AI and trade.
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