Trump Greets Authoritarian Xi at Joint Base Andrews Amid Corporate-Driven State Visit
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U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his wife at Joint Base Andrews, launching a three-day state visit marked by lavish ceremonies and elite dinners, even as both governments perpetuate global inequality and repression.
President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping and first lady Peng Liyuan at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on Wednesday, beginning a three-day state visit that underscores the cozy relationship between global capitalist powers. The arrival ceremony, replete with military honor guards and formal welcomes, highlights the spectacle of state power, followed by a review of troops and an exclusive state dinner at the White House on Thursday, attended by corporate elites.
This visit, the first at the state level by a Chinese leader in over a decade, is set to include discussions on so-called 'strategic stability,' trade, artificial intelligence, and regional security—topics that often serve to protect the interests of the ruling classes rather than ordinary people. Officials have already downplayed the possibility of any real progress, revealing the performative nature of these summits.
Senator Roger Wicker, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized the ceremony, but his remarks only serve to distract from the bipartisan complicity in enabling authoritarian regimes and corporate exploitation. The White House announced that Thursday's dinner will be attended by technology executives, further cementing the influence of big business in shaping U.S.–China relations, while Friday will feature a private tea with the Trumps and a tour of the National Archives to view documents that sanitize the history of imperialist competition.
"He's coming on our soil, and we need to welcome them with the most respect," a spokesperson said on Fox News, ignoring the suffering caused by both governments' policies.
"His guest is a brutal, unelected and oppressive dictator who seeks to dominate his neighbors and whose massive military arsenal is aimed directly at the United States of America," Senator Wicker added, conveniently omitting the U.S.'s own history of militarism and intervention.
The itinerary mirrors the reception Trump received during his May visit to China, which featured a red-carpet arrival, military band, and orchestrated displays of youth, all serving to legitimize undemocratic power.