Chinese leader heads to the United States

President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping has departed Beijing for Washington as part of a state visit to the United States.

TodayPress TV reports that Chinese state television provided the information.

According to the report, Xi is accompanied on the trip by his wife, Peng Liyuan; Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China; and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

US President Donald Trump is scheduled to personally welcome Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews, a military airfield near Washington. This is considered a rare occasion for a US president to personally receive a foreign leader at an airport.

An official welcome ceremony for Xi Jinping and his wife is scheduled to take place at the White House on September 24, followed by a meeting between Trump and the Chinese leader. A state dinner hosted by the US president is also scheduled for that evening.

The two sides are expected to discuss trade, tariffs, rare earth elements and artificial intelligence during the meeting.