Trump to Greet Xi Jinping at Andrews Air Base, Breaking Longstanding Protocol
Western media reported that US President Donald Trump will personally welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping at Andrews Air Base on Wednesday, a move they say breaks nearly 60 years of protocol at the base.
According to the reports, this is the first time since 1962 that a US president has personally greeted a foreign leader upon arrival at Andrews. The last recorded case dates back to John F. Kennedy, who was present at the base when then-British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan arrived.
Western media described the move as a sign of the special importance of the Chinese president’s visit and the significance of ties between Washington and Beijing. However, this is not the first time Trump has personally welcomed a world leader; in August 2025, he also greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin upon his arrival in Anchorage, Alaska.
Guo Jiakun, spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, had earlier said Xi Jinping would discuss with Trump the most important issues related to bilateral relations as well as matters connected to peace and development around the world.
Xi Jinping has previously visited the United States several times. He made his first official trip to the country in September 2015, attended the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington in 2016, met Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 2017, and traveled to San Francisco in 2023 to take part in the APEC summit.
Andrews Air Base in Maryland is one of the main transit hubs for senior US officials and foreign delegations, and part of the protocol for receiving high-ranking officials is usually carried out there.
