Trump Touches Down in Beijing for High-Stakes Summit with Xi Jinping
Trump stepped off Air Force One in Beijing Wednesday evening, kicking off a two-day summit with China’s President Xi Jinping. The welcome was straight out of a state welcome playbook: a red carpet rollout, military band playing lively tunes, an honor guard snapping to attention, and crowds of young Chinese waving US and Chinese flags.
He got a warm greeting from China’s Vice President Han Zheng, US Ambassador David Perdue, Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng, and Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu. Trump even threw in a quick fist pump to the music before heading down the stairs to the waiting motorcade. Flanking the path were hundreds in blue and white outfits, flags high.
Trailing him were Eric and Lara Trump, Elon Musk, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth. The group walked past 300 flag-waving youth, setting a ceremonial tone for what’s ahead.
Talks kick off Thursday, covering thorny issues like trade tensions, Taiwan, artificial intelligence, and the Iran conflict. It’s Trump’s first China trip since 2017, right as relations between the world’s top economies hit a rough patch. Expect bilateral meetings Thursday and Friday, plus a state banquet.
China’s already drawing lines in the sand. Before Trump even landed, their embassy in Washington listed four non-negotiables: Taiwan, democracy and human rights, political systems, and China’s right to develop. No room for debate there.
The US side wants to launch a Board of Trade with China to smooth things over. It could help dodge another trade war like the one sparked last year by Trump’s tariffs, which China hit back at by tightening rare earth exports.
