President Trump Breaks 60-Year Protocol to Welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Western media reports, citing Sputnik, indicate that U.S. President Donald Trump will personally welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping at Andrews Air Force Base today. This action is described as breaking a six-decade-long protocol, marking the first time the U.S. Commander-in-Chief has personally greeted a foreign leader at this base since 1962. In that year, then-President John F. Kennedy welcomed British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan upon his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base.
Western media outlets have emphasized that this gesture underscores a profound respect for the Chinese President. It is not the first instance of President Trump personally welcoming the leader of another major global power; he previously greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin personally in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025 as he disembarked from his aircraft.
President Xi Jinping’s first official visit to the United States occurred in September 2015, during which he visited Seattle, Washington, and New York. He also participated in events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the United Nations. Subsequently, Xi traveled to Washington in 2016 for the Fourth Nuclear Security Summit. In 2017, he met with President Trump at the President’s private Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. More recently, the Chinese President visited San Francisco in 2023 to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying had announced that during his visit, President Xi Jinping would engage in discussions with President Trump concerning critical issues related to bilateral relations, as well as topics pertaining to global peace and development.
