Trump Arrives in Beijing for Summit
President Donald Trump touched down in Beijing, China, for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, greeted by a lavish red carpet.
Air Force One landed at Beijing Capital International Airport around 7:50 p.m. local time. According to the White House, upon arrival, he was welcomed by key figures including Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and U.S. Special Envoy to Beijing David Perdue.
About 300 young Chinese individuals, along with members of an honor guard and a military band, participated in the welcoming ceremony. The children chanted “Welcome, welcome! You’re very welcome!” in Mandarin while waving small flags of both nations.
Joined by his son Eric Trump, daughter-in-law Lara Trump, and several officials, the president greeted dignitaries and acknowledged the crowd with smiles before entering a limousine in a convoy headed to the hotel.
The drive out of the airport was notably adorned with American and Chinese flags, as well as signs declaring “Welcome to Beijing.” It’s interesting how visual the atmosphere felt, like really apparent national pride or something.
While there were no specific engagements planned for that Wednesday, Trump has a full agenda for Thursday which includes a state dinner at the Great Hall of the People and a meeting with President Xi over tea. Notably, this marks their seventh direct meeting and second since Trump resumed office last year.
Trump is traveling with a dozen prominent business leaders. There’s a bit of buzz surrounding this trip. In a post on Truth Social, he clarified the guest list after a report claimed Nvidia’s Jensen Huang wasn’t invited.
“CNBC reported incorrectly that Jensen was not invited to the gathering of the world’s best businessmen,” Trump stated, adding, “In fact, he’s on Air Force One. Unless I ask him to leave, which is unlikely.” He labeled the report as fake news.
He mentioned Huang along with other CEOs from major companies such as Tesla and Apple, expressing pride in having such influential figures aboard. Trump said he looks forward to discussing the potential for open trade with President Xi, stating, “This brilliant people can work their magic” to enhance the relationship between the U.S. and China.
