Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the United States on Wednesday for a state visit, receiving a rare personal airport welcome from US President Donald Trump.

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump shook hands with Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, after the Chinese president's plane landed at Joint Base Andrews, a US military airfield outside Washington. The two leaders then stood side by side on the tarmac as a military ceremony took place, following what the source described as a red-carpet welcome.

The visit is aimed at smoothing superpower tensions on issues including artificial intelligence, trade and Iran. Expectations of any breakthroughs are low, and analysts say the main aim of the pageantry is to maintain a fragile calm between the two rivals.

An early development came when Washington announced a two-month extension of a trade truce with Beijing that had been due to expire in November. The summit itself is expected to be more about spectacle than substance.