MOSCOW, September 23 (HS/RIA Novosti) - US President Donald Trump will breach a protocol observed for some 60 years to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in person at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Xi Jinping is set to pay a state visit to the United States from September 23-25. Monica Crowley, the chief of protocol in the Trump administration, said that Trump would personally greet Xi on the tarmac, a rare gesture on his part.

Trump will meet Xi at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday in what will be the first time a US commander-in-chief has personally greeted a world leader at the base since John F. Kennedy met UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan on the tarmac in 1962.

The Financial Times reported that this gesture will demonstrate Trump's deep respect for Xi.

Trump personally welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin on the tarmac at the airport at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near the Alaskan city of Anchorage in August 2025.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar