U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping at Andrews military base near Washington.

Operativ Media reports that Xi Jinping's plane landed at the military base on September 23 at 17:39 (00:39 Moscow time on September 24). A red carpet was rolled out on the runway and U.S. military personnel lined up in ceremonial uniform to welcome the Chinese leader.

Trump and Xi Jinping shook hands and spoke for a few minutes. Later, a military band played the national anthems of China and the U.S., and an artillery salute was fired.

U.S. military aircraft, including B-1 bombers, flew over the base. According to the White House press pool, six F-16 and six F-22 fighter jets were also positioned on the runway.

Trump and U.S. First Lady Melania Trump escorted Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan to their car before leaving the military base by helicopter.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Xi Jinping's state visit to the U.S. will last from September 23 to 25. Donald Trump previously visited China on May 13-15.

The "Financial Times" previously reported that Trump welcoming Xi Jinping at Andrews military base marks the first such departure from protocol in more than 60 years. According to the publication, the last time a U.S. commander-in-chief welcomed a foreign leader at this base was in 1962, when President John F. Kennedy met British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan on the runway.

In August 2025, Trump welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin on the runway in Anchorage as part of the U.S.-Russia summit held in Alaska.