Xi Jinping departs for Washington for 2-night US state visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping departed for Washington on Wednesday for a summit with US President Donald Trump.

China Central Television (CCTV) reported that Xi left Beijing aboard his official aircraft Wednesday afternoon. Xi is making the trip at Trump's invitation for a state visit to the United States.

Xi's itinerary runs through Friday (US Eastern time) — a two-night, three-day visit — with the summit with Trump scheduled for Thursday in Washington.

According to CCTV, Xi was accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, Politburo Standing Committee member Cai Qi, and Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission and foreign minister.

The visit marks Xi's first trip to the United States in three years, since he attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco in 2023. It is also his first state visit in 11 years, the last having taken place during President Barack Obama's tenure in 2015.

The face-to-face meeting with Trump comes roughly four months after Trump's state visit to China in May. Trade tensions between the two countries, AI cooperation and the Taiwan issue are expected to top the agenda.