Donald Trump has arrived in Beijing, the capital of China. He is scheduled to meet with Xi Jinping on Thursday to discuss several issues including Iran, trade, AI, and Taiwan.
Foreign news agencies reported that U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, 13 May 2026, ahead of a significant summit. His goal is to push forward trade matters, despite potential conflicts over Iran and Taiwan issues.
Trump’s Air Force One landed at Beijing International Airport at 19:50 local time after a long journey from Washington.
Trump was honored with a formal reception by prominent Chinese officials, a disciplined honor guard, and dozens of Chinese students waving U.S. and Chinese flags while shouting in Mandarin, “Welcome, welcome, warm welcome.” The U.S. leader raised his fist and smiled broadly in response before boarding a limousine.
This trip marks the first visit in nearly a decade by a U.S. president to China and Trump’s first visit since 2017.
Beijing signaled the importance of Trump’s visit by sending Chinese Vice President Han Zheng personally to welcome the U.S. president at the airport.
The welcoming delegation also included Xie Feng, China’s ambassador to the U.S., and Ma Zhaoxu, deputy foreign minister. This represents a shift from recent practice, where lower-level officials such as provincial council members typically greeted U.S. leaders, including during Trump’s official visit in 2017.
Analysts predict that the Iran war issue will be a major agenda item at the Trump-Xi summit. Before departing Washington on Tuesday, Trump said he expected a “long discussion” with Xi about Iran, which relies on China as its largest oil buyer despite U.S. sanctions.
Trump sought to ease tensions over differing views on Iran, saying Xi was “doing quite well, to be honest” and adding, “I don’t think we need any help on Iran. We will win one way or another — by peaceful means or otherwise.”
Trump is set to meet with Xi Jinping on Thursday and Friday amid a packed schedule including a state banquet and a tea ceremony.
The planned talks are expected to cover U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, bilateral trade and investment, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) and associated risks.
On Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would ask Xi Jinping to “open up” China to U.S. businesses during their meeting.
“I will ask President Xi, an extremely outstanding leader, to ‘open up’ China so these smart people can use their skills and help elevate the People’s Republic of China to an even higher level!” Trump said on Truth Social, referring to the U.S. CEOs traveling with him. “I will make this my very first request.”
When asked about Trump’s post, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiaqun said Beijing is ready to “expand cooperation, manage differences, and increase security and certainty in a turbulent world.”
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Source:cna