Trump’s rare gesture for Xi: US president to personally welcome Chinese leader at airport
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump’s rare gesture for Xi: US president to personally welcome Chinese leader at airport")
US President Donald Trump (R) speaks with China’s President Xi Jinping as he leaves after a visit to Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing on May 15, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
US President Donald Trump is set to personally welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping at the airport next week as their talks come amid trade tensions, a new US sanctions bill targeting Russian energy buyers and China’s efforts to mediate in the Iran-US conflict.
President Donald Trump will give Chinese President Xi Jinping a rare honour when he arrives in Washington next week for a state visit, with Trump set to personally greet him at the airport, AFP reported citing a US official.
Xi is expected to arrive next Wednesday at around 4 pm local time, with Trump scheduled to attend his welcome ceremony at the military airbase. The airport greeting is a rare gesture for a visiting foreign leader.
The visit comes as relations between the world’s two largest economies remain strained by trade disputes and differences over Taiwan, the South China Sea and the war in West Asia. However, the two leaders have continued high-level engagement despite these differences.
Trump visited Beijing from May 13 to 15, 2026, where he met Xi for talks on bilateral ties and other global issues. It was Trump’s second visit to China and his first during his second presidential term.
US sanctions bill adds to tensions
Xi’s visit also comes days after the US Congress passed the controversial Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The legislation allows President Donald Trump discretionary authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on imports from the top five buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, a list led by India and China.
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Beijing has described the legislation as a US effort to pressure countries buying Russian oil and gas. China said its normal trade with other countries should not be subject to interference or coercion by third parties.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing opposes sanctions that do not have a basis in international law or authorisation from the UN Security Council.
“China consistently opposes long-arm jurisdiction that lacks a basis in international law and is not authorised by the United Nations Security Council,” Guo said at a media briefing.
China voices support for Iran
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing was willing to “safeguard” Iran’s rights during talks with his counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday, as tensions between Tehran and Washington continue.
China is “willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Iran, and safeguard Iran’s legitimate rights and interests”, Wang told Araghchi as they met in the Chinese capital.
The United States remains engaged in an escalating conflict with the Islamic Republic, which has spilled into the wider Middle East and pushed energy prices above $100, causing significant disruption to the global economy.
The conflict was triggered on February 28 when US-Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran, killing top leaders of the Islamic Republic.
