Trump greets Xi at airport for first time in 64 years; China analyst cites midterm calculus

US President Donald Trump's decision to personally greet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the airport has drawn analysis that domestic political considerations were at play — specifically, a desire to showcase the summit as a foreign policy win ahead of US midterm elections.

Wu Xinbo, director of the Institute of International Studies and the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said Trump's airport reception showed that "the US president attaches great importance to President Xi's visit," according to Yonhap and Chinese outlet Pengpai on Wednesday.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump traveled to Joint Base Andrews near Washington on Wednesday (local time) to personally welcome Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan.

It was the first time a sitting US president had greeted a foreign leader at the base since John F. Kennedy welcomed British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan there in 1962.

Under standard US diplomatic protocol, arriving foreign leaders are typically received by the vice president or secretary of state at the airport, with the president hosting a formal welcoming ceremony at the White House.

Wu said he believed Trump's decision to go to the airport reflected domestic political calculations.

"With midterm elections approaching and Trump facing a series of pressures at home and abroad, he may have judged that Xi's visit to the United States could earn him extra credit," Wu said. The implication is that any tangible outcomes from the summit could be presented as foreign policy achievements for political use.

Wu also cited Trump's personal regard for Xi as a factor. "Trump has said on multiple occasions that he respects President Xi, and he has repeatedly emphasized that a deep personal friendship has developed between the two," Wu said.

He also raised the possibility that protocol considerations played a role.

Wu said Trump had originally planned to build a large banquet hall at the White House to receive Xi, but construction delays made that impossible.

"In terms of protocol and hospitality, Trump may have felt apologetic toward the Chinese side," Wu said. "There is a possibility that he sought to compensate to some degree by going to the airport in person."