Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan have left the Washington, D.C. area following a three-day state visit to the United States that included Xi’s first White House state visit in more than a decade.
Xi and Peng departed from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday, September 25, after completing the visit, which included a formal welcome ceremony, meetings with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, a state dinner, a tea meeting at the White House and a visit to the National Archives.
Trump said the discussions had been productive and described the meeting in a post on Truth Social as one of “Friendship, Strength, and Success” between the United States and China. He also said he expected further progress in the relationship and announced plans to meet Xi again later this year.
According to Trump, the next meeting will take place in China in November, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, followed by another meeting at the G20 summit in Miami, Florida, in December. Xi also invited Trump and Melania Trump to visit China.
The Washington visit was closely watched because of the range of issues affecting U.S.-China relations, including trade, technology, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and broader international security concerns. The White House said the two presidents held bilateral discussions and that Trump described the talks as producing positive developments, although the administration did not immediately announce a comprehensive new agreement from the summit.
Xi, for his part, said China and the United States should build a constructive relationship based on “respect, fairness and reciprocity.” Chinese state media reported that the two sides agreed on the goal of maintaining strategic stability while managing differences and expanding areas of cooperation.
The departure marks the end of Xi’s first state visit to the United States in 11 years, according to China’s government. The two leaders are now expected to maintain direct contact ahead of their planned meetings in November and December.