Trump Gets Red-Carpet Welcome In Beijing Ahead Of High-Stakes Xi Summit
President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday evening for a closely watched summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, receiving a lavish red-carpet welcome as the two global powers prepare for critical talks on trade, technology and geopolitics.
Trump landed at Beijing Capital International Airport where he was greeted by US Ambassador to China David Perdue, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, Ambassador Xie Feng and other senior Chinese officials.
A military band, honor guard and hundreds of young performers waving American and Chinese flags welcomed the president as he stepped off Air Force One and greeted the crowd with his trademark fist pumps.
Accompanying Trump on the trip were several top administration officials and business leaders, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Trump family members Eric Trump and Lara Trump.
Thursday marks the first full day of the president’s visit and will include a formal meeting with Xi at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People followed by a state dinner. The two leaders are expected to meet again Friday before Trump departs for Washington.
The visit marks the first time a sitting US president has visited China since 2017 and comes after years of escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing over trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and military influence in the Pacific.
Despite sharp economic disputes, Trump has repeatedly emphasized his strong personal relationship with Xi and signaled optimism ahead of the summit.
Before landing in Beijing, Trump highlighted the large group of American CEOs accompanying the delegation, including leaders from Apple, Boeing, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Qualcomm and Micron.
“I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic,” Trump wrote on Truth Social before arriving.
The summit follows years of economic friction between the two nations. During his second term, Trump imposed aggressive tariffs on Chinese goods while restricting advanced semiconductor exports tied to artificial intelligence development.
China responded with restrictions on rare earth exports and other retaliatory economic measures, fueling fears of a prolonged economic standoff between the world’s two largest economies.
Still, both sides have recently worked toward easing tensions through new trade negotiations aimed at stabilizing economic relations.
The trip had originally been planned for earlier in the year but was delayed because of the war involving Iran and the growing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.
Some Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), have accused China of indirectly supporting Iran through oil purchases and intelligence assistance. Trump, however, has downplayed those concerns.
“I think he’s been relatively good, to be honest with you,” Trump said of Xi earlier this week.
In addition to trade and economic policy, the summit is expected to focus on artificial intelligence, nuclear weapons, Taiwan and human rights issues involving imprisoned pro-democracy figures and religious leaders in China and Hong Kong.
Chinese officials are also reportedly expected to press Trump on reducing US support for Taiwan, one of Beijing’s most sensitive geopolitical concerns.