President Trump hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the White House on Thursday for a high-stakes summit that touched on trade, Taiwan, artificial intelligence and the fallout from the Iran war, six weeks before American midterm elections that will test Trump's own political standing.

Xi's trip is his first state visit to the United States in more than a decade. It began Wednesday evening with an unusually lavish welcome at Joint Base Andrews, where Trump personally greeted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on the tarmac — complete with a red carpet, a 21-person honor guard, a B-1 bomber flyover and both nations' anthems, according to PBS NewsHour. "I think they appreciate it, tremendous people," Trump told reporters afterward.

Trade truce, but few hard deals

Just before the leaders sat down, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the U.S. and China had extended their trade truce — originally set to expire November 10 — through January 10, 2027, buying both sides more time to negotiate on tariffs and rare-earth exports. Bessent said the extension leaves room to "roll" the deal further if talks progress. China is also still working through a May pledge to buy 200 Boeing jets and more U.S. farm products, a commitment Beijing remains behind schedule on, per NBC News.

Taiwan hung over the talks as the sharpest point of friction. China's ambassador has called the island a "red line," while Trump has floated a pending $14 billion Taiwan arms package as a potential "negotiating chip" — with a senior administration official saying a decision is coming "in a fairly short time." The two sides also discussed exchanging safety alerts on AI incidents, though experts are skeptical any binding agreement emerges.

"[We] should be partners, not rivals," Xi wrote ahead of the visit, adding that Chinese "rejuvenation" and Trump's "America great again" goals "can go hand in hand."

Thursday's schedule also included a White House arrival ceremony, a military review, and a black-tie state dinner with tech executives including Elon Musk and Nvidia's Jensen Huang reportedly on the guest list, per PBS. A private tea and a National Archives tour are planned for Friday. Analysts quoted by OPB described the summit as likely to be "high in pageantry and low in substance," noting Trump faces midterms within a month while Xi is preparing for a Communist Party Congress at home.

Two more Trump-Xi meetings are reportedly being planned in the coming months, in Shenzhen and Miami. Whether Thursday's warmth outlasts the unresolved fights over tariffs, technology restrictions and Taiwan arms sales remains the open question heading into those follow-ups.