Trump arrives in Beijing for summit with Xi amid Iran war
US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to begin a three-day state visit featuring summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the Israel-Iran war, Taiwan arms sales, and trade disputes topping an agenda that also includes the fate of imprisoned Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai.
US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to begin a three-day state visit, marking the first trip by a sitting American leader to China in nine years amid the ongoing war in Iran. Trump touched down at Beijing Capital Airport and proceeded to his hotel ahead of Thursday's summit with President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People.
The visit comes as Washington and Beijing navigate strained ties over trade imbalances and regional security crises. Chinese state media highlighted the protocol arrangements for the state visit without detailing specific deliverables expected from the negotiations.
Agenda spans conflict and trade
The Middle East conflict, Taiwan sovereignty, and bilateral trade disputes remain high on the agenda for the Thursday talks. Trump told reporters earlier he would raise US arms sales to Taiwan and the imprisonment of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai during his discussions with Xi.
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Chinese officials said the leaders would discuss "major issues concerning China-US relations, world peace and development" without specifying the Taiwan or Hong Kong cases. Beijing maintains that Taiwan is a breakaway province and opposes foreign interference in what it considers internal affairs.
Cabinet members, CEOs accompany Trump
Trump is accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, signaling the administration's focus on security matters alongside economic concerns. The delegation includes chief executives from major American corporations, notably Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Tesla's Elon Musk.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will join the president in Beijing following trade negotiations with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in South Korea. The Treasury chief's separate talks in Seoul preceded the high-level summit as both sides seek to stabilize economic relations.
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