Exclusive | Beijing wanted more from Xi’s state visit to Washington - South China Morning Post
Dewey Simin BeijingPublished: 5:00am, 6 Oct 2026Updated: 7:45am, 6 Oct 2026Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington in September was steeped in pageantry. The Chinese president received two 21-gun salutes in three days, watched a flyover by the powerful B-2 stealth bomber, and viewed the founding documents of American democracy at the National Archives.US President Donald Trump called his summit with Xi a “great meeting” and rated it a “12 out of 10”. Xi was also positive, saying “everything is done to the highest order of perfection, and there is thought in every little detail”.
But according to people with knowledge of the matter, Beijing had wanted more from the trip.
The sources told the South China Morning Post that Beijing had pushed for a more ambitious programme for Xi’s first state visit to the United States in more than a decade.
