Trump welcomes President Xi Jinping to the US

President Xi Jinping arrived in the United States on Wednesday, where he was met with a rare planeside greeting from US leader Donald Trump , who was there to welcome his counterpart instead of waiting for him to drive up to the White House. Trump and his wife Melania greeted Xi and First Lady Peng Liyuan after the president descended from his plane at Joint Base Andrews, a military airfield outside Washington. Trump's decision to greet Xi at on the tarmac rather than receiving him at the executive residence shows how far the US president is going to honour China's leader as he made his first state visit to the US capital in more than a decade. The greeting marks the first time a US president has welcomed a foreign leader at Joint Base Andrews in 11 years, when President Barack Obama welcomed Pope Francis in 2015, according to C-SPAN, which tracks presidential events. A 30-metre long red carpet was unfurled at the bottom of the staircase placed at the door of Xi's plane, where a 21-person honour guard was arrayed and the Trumps stood waiting for Xi and Peng when they walked down the staircase and shook hands with the hosts. The two leaders...