Trump Rolls Out Elaborate Welcome for Xi, 14 Years After Criticising Obama's Reception
Trump has staged an elaborate welcome for Xi Jinping, 14 years after criticising the reception Obama gave China's then vice-president.
Fourteen years after Donald Trump publicly criticised the reception Barack Obama gave Xi Jinping in Washington, the US president has staged a markedly more elaborate welcome for the Chinese leader.
Xi arrived in Washington on Wednesday for a three-day state visit featuring extensive military pageantry. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump travelled to Joint Base Andrews to personally receive Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan. The ceremony included a red carpet, an honour guard, a gun salute and a flyover by two US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers.
The presidential appearance at the military base was itself unusual. Visiting foreign leaders are generally received at the White House, making the gesture a rare protocol departure. It marked the first time in 11 years that a US president had personally welcomed a foreign leader at the base.
A formal state welcome is scheduled at the White House on Thursday, with 479 US service members taking part in the State Arrival Ceremony. The programme includes full military honours, performances by the US Army Herald Trumpets and the US Marine Band, a presidential salute and a military review in the Rose Garden. Another aerial display, involving a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and four F-22 Raptor fighter jets, is expected to close the ceremony. Trump and Melania are also set to host Xi and Peng at a state dinner.
The 2012 criticism
Xi was still China's vice-president and leader-in-waiting when he visited the United States in February 2012. His visit included a full military honours ceremony at the Pentagon, featuring a 19-gun salute, military formations and performances of the US and Chinese national anthems, hosted by then-US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta. Obama met Xi separately at the White House the same day.
The reception was also intended to reciprocate the welcome given to then-US Vice President Joe Biden during his 2011 visit to China, when Xi hosted him in Beijing and Chengdu. Obama highlighted the "extraordinary hospitality" extended to Biden.
Trump objected to the treatment being extended to China's future leader. On February 14, 2012, he wrote: "So wrong! Barack Obama is hosting China's VP Xi Jinping today at the Pentagon with a full honor ceremony with music and cannons..." A day earlier, he had written: "A day after Barack Obama released a trillion dollar budget deficit, he is hosting China's future leader VP Xi Jinping. America's new reality." His criticism reflected the tougher stance towards China he was publicly expressing at the time.
Contrast with Trump's reception in Beijing
The elaborate Washington welcome follows an equally high-profile reception Trump received from Xi during his May visit to Beijing. There was, however, a notable difference in protocol: Xi did not personally greet Trump at the airport, with Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng receiving the US president instead.
The contrasting receptions highlight how dramatically the ceremonial treatment between the two leaders has changed since Trump's criticism of Obama's handling of Xi's 2012 visit.