Trump lands in Beijing for high-stakes China visit
US President Donald Trump participates in an arrival ceremony at Beijing Capital International Airport during his visit to the country, in Beijing, China on May 13, 2026. Photo: Reuters
United States President Donald Trump landed in Beijing on Wednesday, 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 US business at the start of their two-day summit.
He was welcomed by Chinese dignitaries, a tightly choreographed formation of military honour guard and dozens of Chinese students waving US and Chinese flags as he disembarked Air Force One in the waning hours of twilight on Wednesday.
Pausing midway down the red carpet as the students chanted "welcome, welcome, warm welcome" in Mandarin, he punched the air and smiled broadly before departing in his limousine.
.@POTUS proceeds down the red carpet in Beijing — briefly giving his signature fist pump to the assembled Military Honor Guard and Chinese youth flag wavers pic.twitter.com/aDBQdDjsx8
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 13, 2026
President Trump's motorcade departs Beijing Capital Airport for the hotel.
Tomorrow, @POTUS will participate in the official state arrival ceremony, meet with President Xi Jinping, sit for multiple interviews, and hold several other official events. pic.twitter.com/z9MvA3FIC1Trump is seeking to snag some economic wins on the first visit by a US president to China in nearly a decade and maintain a fragile trade truce to 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.
Also Read: Trump vows to push Xi to 'open up' China at superpower summit
"I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to 'open up' China so that these brilliant people can work their magic," he said in a post on Truth Social, referring to the CEO delegation. "I will make that my very first request."
Asked about Trump's post, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, said Beijing stands ready to "expand cooperation, manage differences and inject more stability and certainty into the turbulent world".
Trump's two days of meetings will include a grand reception at the Great Hall of the People, a tour of the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Temple of Heaven, and a state banquet.
Apart from trade, the talks will cover a host of sensitive subjects from the Iran war to US arms sales to Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China.
Read: 'Iran very much under control,' Trump asserts ahead of China trip
Trump is widely expected to encourage China to convince Tehran to make a deal with Washington to end the conflict, though he has said he did not think he would need its help.
China reiterated on Wednesday its strong opposition to US arms sales to Taiwan, with the status of a $14-billion package awaiting Trump's approval still unclear.
China 'welcomes' Trump's state visit
China said the country "welcomes" US President Donald Trump's state visit, while expecting "respect and equality" in bilateral ties for providing "more stability and certainty to the world."
Heads-of-state diplomacy has an "irreplaceable role" in providing strategic guidance for China-US relations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters.
China "welcomes President Trump's state visit to China," he said, adding that during the visit, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping "will exchange views on major issues concerning China-US relations and world peace and development."
"The two sides will act in the spirit of respect, equality and mutual benefits and provide more stability and certainty to the world," he added.