Trump-China visit latest: US president lands in Beijing for high-stakes meeting with Xi as global tensions rise

Donald Trump has touched down in Beijing, in what is set to be a landmark moment for China-US relations.

It is the first time a US president has visited China since November 2017, when Trump visited Xi Jinping months into his first term.

The visit is underlined by deepening tensions between the rival superpowers, characterised by an intensifying trade war, strong technological competition, and disputes over new US tariffs.

In Beijing, the time is now 8:30pm on Wednesday. There is nothing currently on the schedule, with the visit set to begin in earnest on Thursday morning.

At 10am on Thursday (Wednesday 10pm ET, Thursday 3am BST), Trump will be greeted by Xi at the Great Hall of the People.

The pair will hold a bilateral meeting at 10:15am local time, before having tea together a 11:40am (Wednesday 11:40pm ET, Thursday 4:40am BST).

At 6pm on Thursday (6am ET, 11am BST) Trump will participate in a state banquet in the Great Hall.

Following lunch with Xi on at 12:15pm on Friday (12:15am ET, 5:15am BST) the president will depart Beijing and return to the White House.

Trump has now stepped off the plane to pomp and pageantry.

Dozens of Chinese students are waving flags in honor of the U.S. president’s arrival, flanked by a military guard.

Trump has been met by Han Zheng, the vice president of the People’s Republic of China, before being escorted to a waiting motorcade.

Instead, the U.S. seems no closer to wrapping up the war with Iran, and it is China that has come out of the situation looking like a beacon of stability, with its close ally Tehran still standing and its economy largely shielded from the global fallout of the Strait of Hormuz’s closure.

President Trump has arrived in Beijing accompanied by an entourage that included Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Elon Musk after pledging to urge China’s Xi Jinping to “open up” to U.S. business at the start of their two-day summit.

Trump‘s trip is the first visit by a U.S. president to China in nearly a decade.

The commander in chief will be eager to make deals, maintain a fragile trade truce with the world’s second economy, and prop up public approval ratings bruised by his war with Iran.

The CEOs accompanying Trump are drawn mainly from companies seeking to resolve business issues with China, such as Nvidia, which has struggled to get regulatory permission to sell its powerful H200 artificial intelligence chips there.

Donald Trump has landed in Beijing ahead of his two day summit with Xi Jinping.

Air Force One just touched down at the airport just before 8 p.m. local time.

Musk and other business leaders in the U.S. delegation have major business interests in China, with international traded expected to be high on the agenda.

Trump posted about his billion dollar entourage on Truth Social as the group headed to Beijing on Wednesday.

“It is an Honor to have Jensen, Elon, Tim Apple, Larry Fink, Stephen Schwarzmann, Kelly Ortberg (Boeing), Brian Sikes (Cargill), Jane Fraser (Citi), Larry Culp (GE Aerospace), David Solomon (Goldman Sachs), Sanjay Mehrotra (Micron), Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm), and many others journeying to the Great Country of China,” Trump wrote.

Donald Trump said he is eager for his trip to China, describing the country as “amazing” and praising Xi Jinping as he left for Beijing.

Trump said he expects “great things” for both nations from the visit.

A large group of top American business leaders, including executives from major tech, finance, aerospace and manufacturing companies, will accompany him.

The visit, scheduled from 13 May to 15 May, will focus on trade, tariffs, Taiwan, Iran, artificial intelligence and critical minerals.

Both sides are expected to discuss improving economic ties, possible cooperation in sectors such as energy and agriculture, and extending a trade truce agreed last year.

Iran will also feature prominently, with US officials planning to raise concerns about China’s links with Tehran.