President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan to the White House on Thursday for a state visit, with the two leaders agreeing to maintain a trade truce until early 2027.
The agreement keeps a lid on economic hostilities between the world’s two largest economies even as friction continues over rare earths, technology export controls, and Taiwan. Neither side appears ready to let those disputes upend the broader relationship for now.
Trump is hosting Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, D.C. The two presidents and their delegations are expected to cover trade practices, artificial intelligence, and what officials describe as furthering “strategic stability” between the two countries.
The visit opened with a formal arrival ceremony at the South Portico of the White House, where Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and Peng before the two couples stood together for the playing of each country’s national anthem. Xi later delivered remarks in the White House’s Cross Hall, with Trump, Melania Trump, and Peng looking on.
Melania Trump’s appearance at the arrival ceremony drew notice for a wardrobe choice that seemed to acknowledge the occasion: a black wool mohair light tweed jacket from Alexander McQueen featuring an asymmetric closure resembling the overlapping Mandarin collar associated with China’s Qing dynasty. She paired the jacket, styled by Hervé Pierre, with a matching tweed skirt and black velour Christian Louboutin pumps.
The substance of the visit, however, centers on the trade truce extension and the unresolved disputes that continue to shadow the U.S.-China relationship, from rare earth supplies to technology restrictions to the status of Taiwan. Those issues remain on the table even as both governments have signaled they intend to keep the current arrangement in place through early 2027.
