2nd LD Writethru: Chinese president arrives in Washington

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived here Thursday to meet with his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama and other U.S. political leaders as part of his first state visit to the United States.

Xi and First Lady Peng Liyuan were welcomed by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife at Andrews Air Force Base, when the Chinese leader's plane arrived at around 5:40 p.m. local time (2140 GMT on Wednesday).

Xi will receive a grand welcoming ceremony Friday at the White House, hold talks with Obama, meet the press and attend a state dinner.

He will also meet U.S. parliament leaders and attend a welcoming luncheon hosted by Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry.

The two heads of state will exchange views on bilateral ties, their respective domestic and foreign policies, and regional and international situation, to ensure that a new model of major-country relationship between China and the United States further develop on a right track.

The two sides are expected to reach important agreements on economy and trade, energy, people-to-people exchanges, climate change, environmental protection, finance, science and technology, agriculture, law enforcement, defense, aviation and infrastructure development.

The Xi-Obama summit will be the fifth between the two leaders.

In June 2013, three months after Xi took over the Chinese presidency, he traveled to the U.S. state of California and held a no-necktie summit with Obama, during which they reached consensus on building a new model of major-country relationship between the world's two largest economies.

Obama paid a state visit to China in November 2014, during which they enjoyed an exceptional night stroll in the Zhongnanhai compound in central Beijing. They also met in September 2013 and in March 2014 on the sidelines of two international summits.

Before flying to the U.S. capital, Xi concluded a busy two-and-a-half-day stay in the West Coast technology and aviation hub of Seattle, where he put forward a four-point proposal on the development of the new model of major-country relationship.

The Chinese president will be in New York from Sept. 26 to 28 for a series of summits and meetings marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Endi