KABUL (Pajhwok): Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in the United States next Wednesday, where his US counterpart Donald Trump is expected to personally welcome him at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, a media report said.
According to the Associated Press, senior US administration officials said Trump would be present when Xi’s aircraft lands at the military base near Washington.
The news agency described the move as unusual, as Trump typically meets foreign leaders at the White House.
The heart of the visit comes Thursday, when Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcome Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at an arrival ceremony held indoors on the State Floor of the White House.
It said Trump and Xi would also participate in a review of troops in the Rose Garden before they retreat behind closed doors for talks.
The AP quoted US officials as saying that issues including trade tariffs, the flow of rare earth minerals and artificial intelligence would be among the topics discussed by the two leaders.
According to the report, Xi and his wife would attend a state dinner at the White House on Thursday evening, where Trump and Xi were also expected to deliver remarks.
The news agency added that Xi and his wife would return to the White House on Friday and, after a private tea with Trump and his wife, would visit the US National Archives. The Chinese president would then leave the United States via Joint Base Andrews.
The report said this would be Xi’s first state visit to the United States since September 2015, when Barack Obama was US president.
Trump visited China in May this year and met Xi Jinping in Beijing. The White House later announced that the US president would host Xi in Washington in the autumn.
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