Donald Trump has touched down in Beijing, kicking off a whirlwind visit to China.
It marks the first time a sitting US president has visited the country in roughly nine years as the two global superpowers grapple for economic dominance while grooving to a diplomatic tune.
With the red carpet rolled out, Trump walked down the stairs shaking hands with local Chinese leaders, flanked by Lara and Eric Trump, Elon Musk, Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng greeted Trump at the Beijing airport. US Ambassador to China David Purdue and China’s Ambassador to the US Xie Feng were also there to welcome him.
Some 300 students holding both Chinese and American flags were also on the sidelines of the plane, cheering as Trump touched down, along with a large military band and honor guard.
The crowd yelled ‘welcome, welcome’ in Mandarin as the President made his classic fist pump to the music.
Trump will not meet Chinese President Xi Jinping until Thursday morning in China.
The trip, delayed by the US-Israel war against Iran, features a delegation of US titans of industry set on striking deals with Chinese counterparts.
President Trump touched down in Beijing on Wednesday, kicking off a three-day visit to China
The red carpet was rolled out for Trump as Air Force One touched down in the Chinese capital
It marks the first time a sitting US president has visited China in roughly nine years
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng greeted Trump at the Beijing airport. US Ambassador to China David Purdue and China’s Ambassador to the US Xie Feng were also there
Members of a Military Honor Guard were also on hand to welcome the President
Trump will not meet Chinese President Xi until Thursday morning
The high-stakes state is Trump’s first return to the mainland since 2017
It is the first time a sitting US President has visited China since Trump’s first-term visit in 2017. But this journey to Beijing comes amid the backdrop of global concerns over trade, the Iran war, and artificial intelligence.
The President’s Air Force One posse also included NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, who was scooped up on a refueling stop in Alaska, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Fox News host Sean Hannity and Rush Hour director Brett Ratner.
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Trump’s arrival with a verified boardroom of CEOs, including Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, Goldman Sachs’s David Solomon, GE Aerospace’s Larry Culp and others, signifies the full arsenal of American capitalist firepower touching down in communist China. The executives cover a large portion of US industries, ranging from tech, finance, banking and more.
As globalist trends fade and nations turn inward to provide for themselves in an increasingly self-isolating environment, the President’s choice to bring a group of hand-selected bosses underscores a pragmatic pivot to outsourcing some of America’s economic hurdles to private citizens while Trump engages with his ‘friend,’ Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The board of US businessmen arriving in Beijing with the President represents tens of trillions of dollars.
‘I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic,’ Trump posted on social media while on Air Force One. ‘I will make that my very first request.’
While most state visits feature a cadre of diplomats, military leaders and agency heads, Trump has deliberately loaded up his presidential aircraft with dealmakers.
The CEOs are not there for show; rather, they are there to negotiate terms that fuel US and Chinese ambitions.
The Republican postponed his originally trip to China by a few months so he could stay in the US as the war on Iran ramped up
Some 300 students holding both Chinese and American flags cheered as the President touched down, along with a large military band and honor guard
Trump took part in a welcoming ceremony with Xi when he last visited the country in 2017
Trump, Melania, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan stand together as they tour the Forbidden City in Beijing, in November 2017. Melania is not on the trip this time around
China’s President Xi Jinping speaks during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea
President Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping shake hands as they leave after their talks at the Gimhae Air Base, South Korea, in October
Trump and the First Lady in China for the 2017 state visit
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi shakes hands with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Beijing earlier this month
Is this China trip about diplomacy or dealmaking?
Meanwhile, Trump has a long laundry list of issues to iron out with Xi, such as the Iran war, differences over the fate of Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, the US-China competition for AI dominance and tempering down rhetoric that has painted the US and China as adversaries.
So far, the Iran war has cost America $29 billion – that’s even higher than the $25 billion figure the Pentagon provided to Congress two weeks ago.
The Republican postponed his original trip to China by a few months so he could stay in the US as the war with Iran ramped up. Three months later, that conflict is still roiling, though a shaky ceasefire has bought both sides time to negotiate an end to hostilities.
Trump has sought to bring in Xi as a mediator in the conflict, noting how China purchases the lion’s share of Iranian energy exports to power its ever-growing industrial and manufacturing base.
During the two Presidents’ last face-to-face meeting in Busan, South Korea, in October, the leaders were able to re-negotiate a tariff deal after Trump’s April 2025 ‘Liberation Day’ gambit hit Beijing with bruising high rates.
This go-around, Trump is reportedly angling to get Xi to come to the table and buy US soybeans, beef and Boeing planes.
Xi is expected to push for tariff relief on the export-heavy Chinese economy, which has suffered from Trump’s unexpected volatility; exports make up roughly 20 percent of China’s GDP.
The Trump administration has floated the idea of a ‘Board of Trade’ for the US and China to stabilize their balance books.
The board would determine ‘what kinds of things should we be importing from China, what kinds of things should we be exporting to China, to really make sure that we can focus on areas of mutual benefit,’ Greer said in Paris after meeting with Chinese counterparts with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
‘That’s what we expect for leaders to be talking about when they meet,’ he added, referring to Trump and Xi’s meeting.
There has also been a proposed ‘Board of Investment’ where China and the US can discuss investment hurdles, like resolving roadblocks preventing Chinese investment in the US and provide a venue for resolving further economic issues.
Following the President’s arrival in Beijing, he is expected to have a full two days of bilateral meetings and cultural events.
On Thursday morning, Trump will arrive at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing for a formal arrival ceremony alongside Xi.
The pair of presidents will then have a nearly two-hour closed-door meeting. After that, Trump will head to his hotel for several hours before heading back to the Great Hall for a state banquet.
On Friday, Trump will participate in a photo-op with Xi before having a ceremonial tea and another bilateral meeting. The Republican is scheduled to depart the Chinese capital on Friday afternoon and return to Washington on Friday evening.
