(The Center Square) – Fresh off President Donald Trump’s address before the UN’s General Assembly Tuesday, the president is scheduled to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday evening.
Trump is set to greet Xi as he lands at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland Wednesday night, ahead of an historic state visit. The president’s plan to meet Xi upon his arrival at JBA is considered rare, as presidents typically greet world leaders at the White House.
The visit follows Trump’s visit to China in May, which was set against a backdrop of Chinese pageantry. Trump is expected to return the favor by hosting a state dinner, with the president likely to showcase a slew of upgrades to the White House, including a new helipad that the president unveiled Monday.
The president and First Lady Melania Trump are expected to officially greet Xi and his wife at the White House on Thursday morning, where they will participate in an official arrival ceremony and military review, followed by a bilateral meeting and a state dinner in the evening.
The visit is expected to conclude with the two leaders and their wives visiting the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
Military members have been seen rehearsing the much-anticipated arrival for days. The White House itself has undergone a facelift in recent weeks, with the refurbishing of the columns on the north portico. On Monday, The Center Square eyed grounds keepers planting new shrubs along the north lawn of the White House.
While the two world superpowers are locked in a race for dominance in artificial intelligence, among other things, the two leaders maintain mutual respect.
In the past, Trump has praised Xi as a “great leader,” while underscoring the relationship between the two countries.
During the May meeting, Trump highlighted trade as his top priority, accompanied by more than a dozen top U.S. business leaders. Multiple reports indicate influential U.S. business and tech leaders are clamoring for an invitation to the state dinner.
Trade will likely be a top issue leading up to the meeting, with a U.S. trade deficit with China of $202.1 billion in 2025, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. China is the third-largest trade partner with the U.S.
The debate over AI will likely take center stage during the meeting, as the Trump administration seeks to accelerate the technology's adoption, citing concerns that China could dominate the industry.
Despite the positive relationship between the two leaders, the Trump administration has made allegations against China over its involvement in U.S. elections, claiming China interfered with the 2020 election, with the president describing it as the “largest compromise of election data in history,” adding that it led to “China’s illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files.”
Trump has also warned against China’s involvement in aiding Iran with weapons and intelligence against American forces in the region. Up until the full U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, China was Iran’s largest exporter of oil.
On Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. House Select Committee on China released a video and investigative findings detailing China’s support for Iran.
The committee accuses China of supporting Iran, and detailing how it “helps the regime in Tehran evade oil sanctions and use satellite imagery to strike U.S. troops.” The committee has “concluded, the Chinese Communist Party keeps the economies of Iran and Russia afloat while fueling its own authoritarian agenda.”
“The video…declares ‘China’s dark fleet is an economic lifeline, shipping illegal oil to bypass sanctions.’ It also notes that China ‘helps Iran with satellite imagery and targeting data for attacks on U.S. military assets in the Middle East,” according to the committee.
In addition, many Republicans, including within the Trump administration, have raised alarms over thousands of Chinese citizens exploiting birthright citizenship through birthright tourism.
During the meeting in May, Taiwan was a top issue for China, as the communist country doesn’t recognize Taiwan as an independent country, causing tension, while the U.S. recognizes and supports Taiwan’s independence.
The U.S. continues to sell weapons to Taiwan in defense of China, with the Trump administration having approved an $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan last year.