Xi Jinping in Washington: US Says China Trade Truce Extended

Xi Jinping landed in Washington on Wednesday for his first US visit in nearly three years. Within hours, Washington said the two powers had agreed to extend their trade truce.

President Donald Trump greeted the Chinese leader in person at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. A military band played, cannons fired and a B-1 bomber flew overhead. According to C-SPAN, no US president had greeted a foreign leader there in 11 years. The last was Pope Francis in 2015.

What Xi Jinping’s visit could deliver

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News the deal extends the truce through January 10. It had been due to expire on November 10. China’s embassy had no immediate comment.

Xi struck a softer tone in a written statement. “China and the United States should be partners, not rivals,” he said. The statement did not mention a trade deal.

Talks on Thursday could bring narrower wins. Officials have floated lower tariffs in some sectors, joint work on drug trafficking and more military dialogue. Trump is also expected to seek the release of some detained Americans. The two sides may agree to talk more about AI.

The disputes that remain

Deep differences remain. The rivals clash over export controls on chips and rare-earth minerals. They also disagree over China’s ties with Iran and US support for Taiwan.

People familiar with the plans expect Xi to raise Beijing’s claim to Taiwan. Trump is expected to keep firm export controls in place.

The timing is awkward for Trump. Nearly seven months of war with Iran have pushed up US energy prices. His party faces tough congressional elections in November.

Xi arrives with China’s export engine roaring. Yet he faces weak household spending and a long property slump at home.

A state dinner on Thursday is expected to include Apple’s Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. There will be no joint press conference. Each side will instead issue its own announcements for home audiences.

A calmer US-China relationship matters far beyond both capitals. Exporters such as Bangladesh, now second in the US garment market, feel every tariff swing.

Read the Reuters report via The Daily Star.

Fact basis: Reuters (23 Sept 2026) via The Daily Star; WORLD news briefing (24 Sept 2026). Bessent’s account of the extension had not been confirmed by Beijing at the time of writing.