Trump gets red-carpet welcome in China, but past Beijing trip shows pageantry only goes so far
President Trump was greeted on the red carpet with a military honor guard, marching band and children waving American and Chinese flags when he touched down in Beijing on Wednesday ahead of risky talks with the Chinese President. Xi Jinping.
The ceremony also underscored a larger question about Trump’s return to China: Whether the visit could provide more lasting progress than his 2017 trip, which featured major business announcements but was followed by a sharp deterioration in U.S.-China trade relations.
The meeting comes as trade tensions, the Iran war and disputes over Taiwan put new pressure on Washington and Beijing to stabilize relations between the world’s two largest economies.
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US President Donald Trump walks with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng during his arrival ceremony at Beijing Capital International Airport in 2026.
(Reuters)
The red carpet was rolled out with a welcome ceremony featuring a military honor guard and Chinese children waving American and Chinese flags accompanied by a military band.
“Welcome, welcome! A warm welcome!” children sang hymns in Chinese.
Trump exited Air Force One and was greeted by US Ambassador to China David Perdue, Chinese Vice President HE Han Zheng, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the US HE Xie Feng, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Ma Zhaoxu.
Trump visited China in 2017 for his first official visit.
first lady Melania Trump He accompanied Trump on his first state visit nearly nine years ago. The 2017 trip emphasized pageantry, personal diplomacy and business announcements and included excursions such as a tour of the Forbidden City, a Peking opera performance and a formal welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan invite the Trumps to the Forbidden City in 2017.
The 2017 trip generated more than $250 billion from announced trade agreements and cooperation commitments, but that did not prevent trade relations from deteriorating in 2018.
Trump announced a $12 billion deal for mobile phone chips from Qualcomm and a $37 billion deal for Boeing commercial jets, the AP reported at the time.
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“These agreements will create jobs for American workers, farmers and ranchers by increasing U.S. exports to China and encouraging investment in American communities,” the White House said at the time.
Trump’s first visit to China focused largely on symbolic diplomacy and major business announcements.
The strategic focus of his first visit was North Korea’s nuclear program. Trump and Xi agreed that North Korea should not become a nuclear-armed state and announced that the two countries would apply “maximum pressure”.
Trump receives a flower bouquet from a young girl upon his arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport.
China had tightened sanctions earlier that year, including suspending coal imports from North Korea; Trump later said Chinese banks were reducing their business with North Korean entities. However, US-China cooperation has weakened as trade tensions have increased and North Korea continues to advance its missile and nuclear programs.
The summit did not prevent a sharp deterioration in trade relations the following year after Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese imports, triggering a prolonged trade standoff.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive at a state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping and China’s First Lady Peng Liyuan in Beijing in 2017.
Trump’s latest visit follows a broader tariff hike in which his administration has imposed sweeping duties on imports from dozens of countries, with China emerging as the central flashpoint after Beijing retaliated and later tightened export controls on rare earth minerals, prompting Trump to threaten additional 100% tariffs on Chinese goods.
Trump is expected to do press xi once in trade This again suggests that American entrepreneurs and executives could help boost growth in China if Beijing removes barriers and opens up more scope for U.S. companies to operate.
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Senior US executives accompany Trump during the visit Elon MuskApple CEO Tim Cook, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Cargill CEO Brian Sikes, Citi CEO Jane Fraser, GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.
Although Trump has downplayed his differences with Xi over the war, Iran is expected to be among the topics during the talks.
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Trump and Xi will hold talks and hold an official banquet on Thursday.
Fox News Digital’s Eric Mack and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Original article source: Trump gets a red carpet welcome in China, but his past trip to Beijing shows demonstrations only go so far
