Donald Trump receives grand welcome in China ahead of summit with Xi Jinping

US President Donald Trump received a grand ceremonial welcome in Beijing on Wednesday.

After arriving for a high-profile summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping amid growing global attention on US-China relations.

Trump landed at Beijing Capital International Airport, where senior Chinese and American officials welcomed him with full state honours. The reception included a red-carpet ceremony, military honour guards, a live band and hundreds of young flag-bearers waving the flags of both countries.

Among those present to receive the US President were China’s Vice President Han Zheng, Chinese Ambassador to Washington Xie Feng, Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and US Ambassador to China David Perdue.

Trump, who appeared upbeat during the arrival ceremony, briefly raised his trademark fist pump while walking past the honour guard and assembled crowd. According to reports, several prominent figures accompanied him on the trip, including his son Eric Trump, daughter-in-law Lara Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Elon Musk and Jensen Huang.

Trump is scheduled to hold extensive talks with Xi over the next two days, with discussions expected to focus heavily on trade relations, Taiwan and the broader geopolitical rivalry between the world’s two largest economies.

On Thursday, the US President will attend an official ceremony at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People before participating in bilateral talks and a state dinner hosted by Xi. Another meeting between the two leaders is expected on Friday before Trump departs for Washington.

Trade disputes are likely to dominate the summit agenda, especially amid continuing tensions over tariffs, technology restrictions and China’s control over rare earth exports. The leaders are also expected to discuss the Taiwan issue and the ongoing Iran conflict, both of which remain major strategic concerns for Washington and Beijing.

Ahead of the visit, Trump had indicated that Xi could make a return visit to the United States later this year, signalling possible efforts by both sides to stabilise ties despite deep differences on several global issues.