Trump personally went to the airport to greet the guest, which is an extremely rare exception in U.S. diplomatic protocol—definitely top-tier treatment. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S., no sitting U.S. president has ever personally gone to the airport to welcome a Chinese top leader during their visits to the U.S.; it’s always been the vice president. The last time a U.S. president went to the airport to greet a foreign top leader was back in 1959, when Eisenhower personally welcomed Soviet leader Khrushchev at Andrews Air Force Base. On the other hand, when foreign heads of state visit China, the highest airport reception standard was set this May when Trump visited China, and Vice Chairman Han Zheng greeted him at Beijing Capital International Airport. Protocol details are political signals in themselves. A president personally showing up on the tarmac is a very visible gesture of 'the guest is important, and I’m taking the first step.' This visit also included large-scale honor guards, B-2 and F-22 flyovers above the White House, and other arrangements. The overall reception was clearly above the standard for a typical state visit and even surpassed the reception China gave Trump during his visit. Extending such gestures to a strategic competitor is indeed a rarity in U.S. diplomacy over the past few decades.