White House rolling out red carpet for historic Xi Jinping visit

US President Donald Trump will host Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week in Washington, with AI, trade and Taiwan expected to be on the agenda for the leaders of the global superpowers.

Xi will be greeted personally by Trump at Andrews Air Force Base on the eve of a White House state dinner and a military flyover.

The three-day trip marks Xi's first state visit to the US since 2015 and his third meeting with Trump in the past year.

Adding to the high-stakes state visit, a US-China trade agreement reached last year is set to expire in November.

The trade truce - reached in October 2025 as Trump and Xi met in South Korea - saw Washington suspend steep tariff increases on Chinese goods while Beijing eased back from restricting rare earth exports critical for manufacturing.

Experts said they will be watching for some sort of announcement around an extension of this agreement during the forthcoming state visit.

Xi's trip to Washington, which ends on Friday, will have plenty of pomp and pageantry, and includes lavish dinners, private tours and performances.

He will be accompanied by First Lady Peng Liyuan who is expected to visit the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art with US First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday.