Trump gets rousing reception in Beijing on arrival for talks with Xi

Beijing: US President Donald Trump was accorded a red carpet welcome on Wednesday upon his arrival in Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on a host of issues, including the Iran war and a trade deal.

Trump was welcomed by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng at the airport, a rare honour that broke with usual diplomatic protocol.

Officials say most of the top leaders visiting China, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, a close ally of Xi, were received by State Councillors, a high-ranking post of the ruling Communist Party of China.

By deputing Vice President Han to receive Trump, China sent a message about the importance it attached to his visit, observers said.

There was also a brass band playing as Chinese military personnel presented a guard of honour as Trump descended the steps of his plane.

He was also greeted by 300 Chinese youth dressed in blue and white uniforms and waving Chinese and American flags in unison, chanting in Chinese, “Welcome, welcome! Warm welcome!”

Trump briefly paused to listen to the flag-waving youth and moved to get into his limousine, The Big Beast, flown from Washington. The highway route leaving the airport was decorated with American and Chinese flags. Skyscrapers were lit up with Chinese characters meaning “Beijing Welcome.”

Trump’s son Eric and his daughter-in-law Lara, as well as Tesla chief Elon Musk, disembarked from Air Force One along with Trump.

Accompanying Trump on his trip to China are some of the US’s top business leaders.

Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Tim Cook of Apple, Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, and Larry Fink of BlackRock, are among those travelling with the US president.

“I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People’s Republic to an even higher level,” Trump said in a post on social media.

Trump said that it will be his “very first request” when he meets the Chinese leader, BBC reported.

“I have never seen or heard of any idea that would be more beneficial to our incredible Countries,” he said.

The last-minute addition of Nvidia’s Jensen Huang to Trump’s delegation was regarded as significant, as semiconductor chips are central to the US-China technology rivalry.

China is bargaining for semiconductor chips for its AI tech development, while the US wants the rare-earth minerals used for manufacturing mobile phones and aircraft jets.

Ahead of Trump’s arrival, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and Scott Bessent completed the final round of trade negotiations in South Korea, details of which are not known.

The next two days, Trump and Xi are scheduled to hold several rounds of talks to discuss both bilateral and global issues, especially the Iran war.  

The talks are expected to focus on trade and tariffs, Artificial Intelligence and technology, Taiwan and US’ arms sales to Taipei, Iran and West Asia East security and rare earths and supply chains.

Trump’s schedule in Beijing included a visit to the Temple of Heaven, a complex of imperial temples where emperors would pray for a good harvest.

Ahead of his departure for Beijing, Trump told the media in Washington he would be talking with Xi about trade more than anything else. He plans to sign more deals with China to buy more American food and aircraft.