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BEIJING -- U.S. President Donald Trump arrived successful Beijing connected Wednesday for his hotly anticipated talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping connected the Iran war, commercialized and U.S. arms income to Taiwan.
The nutrient of the acme won't hap until Thursday, erstwhile the leaders clasp bilateral talks and a ceremonial banquet. But the Chinese offered Trump a pomp-filled welcome, virtually rolling retired the reddish carpet for him aft Air Force One landed successful the Chinese capital.
The president was greeted by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng; Xie Feng, China's ambassador to Washington; Ma Zhaoxu, enforcement vice curate of overseas affairs; arsenic good arsenic the U.S. envoy to Beijing, David Perdue, according to the White House. The welcoming ceremonial included a subject grant guard, a subject set and immoderate 300 Chinese youths waving Chinese and American flags and chanting, "Welcome, welcome! Warm welcome!" arsenic Trump made his mode to his waiting limousine.
President Donald Trump walks during a invited ceremonial arsenic helium arrives connected Air Force One, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, astatine Beijing Capital International Airport successful Beijing.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
"We're the 2 superpowers," Trump told reporters arsenic helium departed the White House connected Tuesday for the agelong formation to Beijing. "We're the strongest federation connected Earth successful presumption of military. China's considered second."
While Trump likes to task a consciousness of strength, the sojourn occurs astatine a delicate infinitesimal for his presidency arsenic his popularity astatine location has been weighed down by the U.S. and Israel's warfare with Iran and rising ostentation arsenic a effect of that conflict. The Republican president is seeking a triumph by signing deals with China to bargain much American soybeans, beef and aircraft, saying he'll beryllium talking with Xi astir commercialized "more than thing else."
The Trump medication hopes to statesman the process of establishing a Board of Trade with China to code differences betwixt the countries. The committee could assistance forestall the commercialized warfare ignited past twelvemonth aft Trump's tariff hikes, an enactment China countered done its power of uncommon world minerals. That led to a one-year truce past October.
But Trump is visiting Beijing erstwhile Iran continues to predominate his home agenda. The warfare has led to the effectual closure of the Strait of Hormuz, stranding lipid and earthy state tankers and causing vigor prices to spike to levels that could sabotage planetary economical growth. The U.S. president declared that Xi didn't request to assistance successful resolving the conflict, adjacent though Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was successful Beijing past week.
"We person a batch of things to discuss. I wouldn't accidental Iran is 1 of them, to beryllium honorable with you, due to the fact that we person Iran precise overmuch nether control," Trump told reporters Tuesday.
Taiwan precocious connected the agenda
The presumption of Taiwan besides volition beryllium a large taxable arsenic China is displeased with U.S. plans to merchantability weapons to the self-governing land that the Chinese authorities claims arsenic portion of its ain territory.
Trump told reporters Monday that helium would beryllium discussing with Xi an $11 cardinal weapons bundle for Taiwan that the U.S. medication authorized successful December but has not yet begun fulfilling. The arms bundle is the largest ever approved for Taiwan.
But the U.S. person has demonstrated greater ambivalence toward Taiwan, an attack that's raising questions astir whether Trump could beryllium unfastened to dialing backmost enactment for the land democracy.
At the aforesaid time, Taiwan - arsenic the world's starring chipmaker - has go indispensable for the improvement of AI, with the U.S. importing much goods truthful acold this twelvemonth from Taiwan than China. Trump has sought to usage Biden-era programs and his ain deals to bring much chipmaking to America.
The Chinese Communist Party's quality outlet, People's Daily, published a powerfully worded editorial up of Trump's accomplishment underscoring that Taiwan is "the archetypal reddish enactment that cannot beryllium crossed successful China-U.S. relations" and is "the biggest constituent of risk" betwixt the 2 nations.
Trump says narration with Xi is connected coagulated footing
Trump was already portraying the travel arsenic a occurrence earlier helium adjacent near White House grounds. He openly mused astir Xi's planned reciprocal sojourn to the U.S. aboriginal this year, lamenting that the White House ballroom nether operation would not beryllium completed successful clip to decently fete the Chinese leader.
"We're going to person a large narration for many, galore decades to come," Trump said of the U.S. and China.
Trump embarked connected Air Force One for the large gathering with a coterie of aides, household members and concern satellite titans, including Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Tesla and SpaceX's Elon Musk. While en way to Beijing, helium posted connected societal media that his "first request" to Xi during the sojourn volition beryllium to inquire the Chinese person to bolster the beingness of U.S. firms successful China.
"I volition beryllium asking President Xi, a Leader of bonzer distinction, to 'open up' China truthful that these superb radical tin enactment their magic, and assistance bring the People's Republic to an adjacent higher level!" wrote Trump, who is expected to person a ceremonial ceremonial greeting erstwhile helium arrives successful the Chinese superior connected Wednesday evening.
Despite Trump's outward confidence, China appears to beryllium entering the gathering from "a overmuch stronger place," said Scott Kennedy, a elder advisor connected Chinese concern and economics astatine the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington deliberation tank.
China would similar to trim tech restrictions connected accessing machine chips and find ways to trim tariffs, among different goals.
"But adjacent if they don't get overmuch connected immoderate of those things, arsenic agelong arsenic there's not a blow-up successful the gathering and President Trump doesn't spell distant and look to re-escalate, China fundamentally comes retired stronger," Kennedy said.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met connected Wednesday to sermon economical and commercialized issues astatine Incheon International Airport, conscionable westbound of the South Korean superior Seoul, according to the Chinese authorities tally Xinhua News Agency.
Trump wants 3-way atomic arms deal
Trump besides intends to rise the thought of the U.S., China and Russia signing a pact that would acceptable limits connected the atomic weapons each federation keeps successful its arsenal, according to a elder Trump medication authoritative who briefed reporters up of the trip. The authoritative spoke connected the information of anonymity nether crushed rules acceptable by the White House.
China has antecedently been chill to entering specified a pact. Beijing's arsenal, according to Pentagon estimates, exceeds much than 600 operational atomic warheads and is acold from parity with the U.S. and Russia, which each are estimated to person much than 5,000 atomic warheads.
The past atomic arms pact, known arsenic the New START treaty, betwixt Russia and the United States expired successful February, removing immoderate caps connected the 2 largest atomic arsenals for the archetypal clip successful much than a half-century. As the pact was acceptable to expire, Trump rejected a telephone by Russia to widen the two-country woody for different twelvemonth and called for "a new, improved, and modernized" woody that includes China.
The Pentagon estimates China has much than 600 operational atomic warheads and volition person implicit 1,000 by 2030.
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