US President Donald Trump was on Thursday accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Great Hall of People upon his arrival for talks with his Chinese counterpart.
Trump landed in Beijing on Wednesday for a three visit to China — his first since 2017 — to hold talks with Xi on a host of issues, including Iran war, trade, technology and Taiwan. The visit could reshape relations between the world's two largest economies for years to come.
"Welcome back to China after 9 years. The whole world is watching our meeting. Currently, a transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe, and the international situation is fluid and turbulent. The world has come to a new crossroads. Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides trap and create a new paradigm of major country relations?," said Xi Jinping during the bilateral meeting.
Trump told Xi that they are going to have a fantastic future and he looks forward to doing business with China.
Here's all we know about the high stake meeting:
A Red Carpet Welcome
Trump arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport Wednesday night local time and was greeted by senior Chinese officials and hundreds of flag-waving children dressed in blue and white uniforms, who chanted "Welcome, welcome, enthusiastically welcome" in Mandarin, as a military honor guard and band stood along the red carpet.
Trump was welcomed by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, widely seen as Xi Jinping's envoy for diplomatic events, and was joined on the red carpet by his son Eric Trump and daughter-in-law Lara Trump. As his motorcade departed the airport, the city skyline was illuminated with Chinese characters reading "Beijing Welcome."
Xi Jinping is set to meet Trump during a ceremony on Thursday at the Great Hall of the People, a hub for legislative action by the communist government and a centre for key cultural and social events on the Western side of Tiananmen Square.
A Packed and Fraught Agenda
Trump and Xi are set to discuss a range of thorny issues including tech, trade, and Taiwan, and the tone they set over two days could dictate the course of the US-China relationship for years.
The visit, already once delayed due to the US-Israeli war with Iran, carries enormous weight. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US hopes to convince China to "play a more active role" in encouraging Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, telling Fox News, "It's in their interest to resolve this."
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Taiwan on Edge
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said he remains confident in relations with Washington but acknowledged the anxiety surrounding the summit: "Of course we hope that the Trump-Xi summit does not produce any surprises regarding Taiwan-related issues."
Trump had said he plans to discuss future US arms sales to Taiwan directly with Xi, with a second weapons package worth at least $14 billion still under review in Washington.
CEOs in Tow
Traveling with Trump are more than a dozen high-profile American business leaders, including Apple's Tim Cook and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Their presence signals that trade and technology deal-making are central to the trip's ambitions.
A Changed Landscape Since 2017
Trump's last visit in November, 2017, during his first term, saw him tout his "very good chemistry" with Xi and receive a rare private tour of the Forbidden City. Now, years of tit-for-tat tariffs, a tech race, and fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic have transformed that relationship dramatically. All eyes now on the meeting between the two leaders.
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