A protester scaled a light pole along Pennsylvania Avenue NW to hang a banner opposing Chinese President Xi Jinping before a state visit. Emergency crews closed the road in both directions.
A person in a neon vest could be seen climbing the pole Tuesday morning, a few blocks west of the Capitol.
“Dictator Xi your empire will fall. Free Tibet,” the banner said.
The person climbed down, and a fire crew used a ladder truck to remove the banner.
The roadway was expected to reopen at about 11 a.m. Tuesday. No information was immediately released on any charges against the protester.
Xi’s visit to Washington – his first in 10 years – is set to begin Wednesday. State visits usually occur when two countries are on warm terms, but Trump is hosting Xi as their economic and tech competition is escalating, especially through an artificial intelligence race.
Neither expects any grand bargain, but the leaders are expected to play nice in their third meeting since Trump returned to the White House to try to steady fragile ties. That is despite the world’s two largest economies seeking the upper hand on AI developments and trade, while pushing for leverage in persistent hot spots like Iran and Taiwan.
The Associated Press contributed reporting on Xi’s visit.
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