Xi stays at former Trump hotel before White House summit
SingTao · 5 SOURCES38 minutes ago2 MIN
Summary
Xi Jinping arrived in Washington for a three-day state visit from September 23 to 25 and is staying at the Waldorf Astoria on Pennsylvania Avenue, a property that previously operated as the Trump International Hotel. His schedule with US President Donald Trump includes a White House welcome ceremony, bilateral talks, an expanded meeting and a state dinner later on Thursday. The visit has drawn intense security and ceremonial attention, from road closures around the hotel to military flypasts and online debate over footage of uniformed US personnel kneeling to straighten the red carpet before Xi disembarked.
Key Points
- Xi and Peng Liyuan arrived at Joint Base Andrews at 5:35pm on September 23, where Trump and Melania Trump greeted them on the tarmac.
- Xi is staying at the Waldorf Astoria on Pennsylvania Avenue, a few blocks from the White House and near the National Mall museums and monuments.
- The building began as the Old Post Office in 1899, became Trump International Hotel in 2016, and was rebranded as Waldorf Astoria in June 2022.
- Outside the hotel, Chinese community groups waved Chinese and US flags, while Washington police and the US Secret Service enforced strict road closures and patrols.
- Thursday's programme includes a 10am White House welcome ceremony, speeches, bilateral and expanded talks, and a state dinner in the East Room.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the hotel choice and ceremonial staging show how symbolism, protocol and personal political branding are intertwined in top-level US-China diplomacy. The visit's tightly managed optics, from security cordons to the guest list and dinner arrangements, also offer clues to how both sides want this Xi-Trump encounter to be seen by business and political audiences.