Live Reporting
Edited by Angus Thompson, with Laura Bicker, Stephen McDonell and Tom Bateman in Beijing
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How Trump’s China trip will unfoldpublished at 14:09 BST
Although Trump has now arrived in China, the main events of the trip are scheduled for Thursday and Friday. Here’s his itinerary at a glance:
Thursday
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The Great Hall of the People is a major landmark in Beijing, and the meeting place of China’s National People’s Congress
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Trump will be welcomed at an arrival ceremony with Xi at China’s Great Hall of the People
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The two leaders will then hold talks
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A state banquet is scheduled for the evening
Friday
Image source, Bloomberg via Getty ImagesImage caption, The Zhongnanhai compound is where China’s top leadership live and work – similar to the White House in the US
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There will be a “friendship photo” and handshake with Xi in Beijing’s Zhongnanhai Garden – home to the Communist Party’s headquarters. For foreign dignitaries, invitations here are often viewed as a sign of closeness and recognition
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This will be followed by another bilateral meeting and tea with Xi. A working lunch is then scheduled
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Trump will then head back to the airport for a departure ceremony
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Big names from US industry arrive with Trumppublished at 13:42 BST
Jonathan Josephs
Business reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang (right) and Tesla’s Elon Musk (middle back) stand behind Trump and Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng
Some big name business leaders have got off the plane with
President Trump in Beijing, the CEO’s of Nvidia, Apple, Tesla and Boeing
among them.But overall the amount of trade between the two countries
has been falling in recent years amid a deepening trade war, and the tariffs and
other trade restrictions that has brought.Last year two-way trade was worth $414.7bn (£307.3bn), which is along
way down on the $690.4bn (£511.6bn) that it peaked at in 2022.One of the big issues President Trump has is the unbalanced
nature of that trade, with America buying over $200bn more goods from China last
year than it sold to it.One way to tackle that is to sell more American goods to
China, which will be popular back home for the jobs and opportunities it would
create.Some of the most likely beneficiaries could be US soybean
and beef farmers as well as planemaker Boeing.Its CEO Kelly Ortberg recently told investors he was “highly confident” of a deal that would mean “a big number” of new planes being
ordered as a result of this summit.However, when China and the US struck a trade deal in
President Trump’s first term Beijing didn’t buy everything it said it would. It
remains to be seen if history will repeat itself. -
Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng receives Trumppublished at 13:24 BST
Image source, Getty ImagesVice-President Han Zheng was at the tarmac to receive Trump as he walked down the steps from Air Force One.
Han is among China’s top leaders and sending him to receive Trump is being read as Beijing showing the US president respect. Last time, during his 2017 visit, they sent a lower-level leader, State Councillor Yang Jiechi.
Han also attended Trump’s inauguration last year.
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Trump’s son Eric and Elon Musk travelling with the presidentpublished at 13:20 BST
Image source, Alex Wong/Getty ImagesThe US president and his party have now left the tarmac in a motorcade.
Among those following Trump along the red carpet before their departure were tech billionaire Elon Musk and Trump’s son Eric.
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Trump arrives in Beijing to a brass band and flag waving ahead of Xi talkspublished at 13:17 BST
US President Donald Trump has just landed in Beijing, China, where he will holding talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping over the next two days.
He arrived to a brass band playing and flag wavers performing a routine while chanting “welcome welcome, a warm welcome” as he got into his presidential vehicle.
Trump’s party includes tech CEOS, including Telsa boss Elon Musk, who was seen on the tarmac.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Ahead of Donald Trump’s Air Force One landing in Beijing, members of the armed forces could be seen preparing to greet him
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Several people in Beijing gathered to get a view of Air Force One’s arrival
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, American and Chinese flags were on display, demonstrating unity ahead of the high-stakes two-day meeting
Image source, ReutersImage caption, The red carpet was rolled out for President Trump and his entourage’s arrival
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Trump descends Air Force One stairspublished at 13:10 BST
Image source, ReutersUS President Donald Trump steps out of Air Force One and gives a fist pump to the greeting party.
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Trump’s presidential car ‘the Beast’ waiting on the tarmacpublished at 13:06 BST
Image source, Reuters -
President Trump lands in Beijingpublished at 12:52 BST
Breaking
US President Donald Trump has arrived in Beijing.
During his two-day visit, Trump will hold high-stakes talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Image source, Getty Images -
Trump says he’ll ask China to ‘open up’ as he brings industry leaders on trippublished at 12:47 BST
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Musk is greeted by Trump on a visit to Qatar in 2025
Joining Trump on his trip to China are some of the US’s top business leaders.
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Tim Cook of Apple, Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, and Larry Fink of BlackRock, are among those the US president says are travelling with him.
“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 says in a post on social media.
Trump says that will be his “very first request” when he meets the Chinese leader.
“I have never seen or heard of any idea that would be more beneficial to our incredible Countries,” he says.
The boss of Nvidia, a company which has been central to the US-China technology rivalry, was reportedly a last-minute addition.
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‘I don’t think we need any help with Iran,’ Trump says ahead of trippublished at 12:34 BST
Image source, VCG via Getty ImagesShortly before departing for China, Trump told reporters in Washington he and Xi will have a “long talk” about Iran, but insisted “I don’t think we need any help”.
Shortly after the US and Israel attacked Iran in February, the Iranian regime effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz – a critical shipping route through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil passes. In April, the US began blocking ships from leaving Iranian ports.
“You look at the blockade, no problem,” Trump said about his relations with Xi over the issue, adding: “They got a lot of their oil from that area. We’ve had no problem, and he’s been a friend of mine.”
His Chinese counterpart has been “relatively good” on the issue, Trump said, adding it would be a “very exciting trip” and “a lot of good things are going to happen”.
Speaking last week, Trump said “we haven’t been challenged by China” over the issue, adding that Xi would not do that “because of me”.
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Can China help bring about a resolution to the Iran war?published at 12:26 BST
Laura Bicker
China correspondent, reporting from Beijing
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi (left) met with Wang Yi last week
The war in Iran will dominate the agenda as Donald Trump meets Xi Jinping.
China faces
growing pressure from the US to use its economic and political influence over
Iran. The two countries have an alliance dating back decades, and Beijing is Tehran’s biggest trading partner.In talks with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi earlier this month, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi said
Beijing was ready to help de-escalate tensions.There’s no
doubt China will want an end to this war. Beijing’s economy was
already battling slower growth and higher unemployment when Trump’s
tariffs hit last year. It has proven to be resilient – but now the conflict
in the Middle East is taking a fresh toll, with rising oil prices putting
pressure on factory-running costs and orders.China has
backed Pakistan’s peace plan, which is part of its measured efforts to mediate, while also trying to avoid becoming entangled in the conflict.We’ll be
watching to see what other steps Beijing may be willing to take during these
talks. -
Iran war delayed trip by nearly two monthspublished at 12:21 BST
Trump and Xi’s highly anticipated meeting was initially set for 31 March. It now comes after almost two months of delays as the US remains entangled in its war against Iran.
In mid-March, a couple of weeks after the war began, Trump postponed the meeting, saying he had to remain in the US due to the ongoing conflict.
“I want to be here. I have to be here, I feel. And so we requested that we delayed a month,†he said at the time.
China – one of Iran’s biggest diplomatic supporters and its number one customer for oil – had also reportedly been hesitant to go ahead with the meeting before the war is resolved.
But earlier this week, Beijing confirmed that the summit would go ahead in just a few days’ time – consistent with its usual practice of announcing plans for top leaders at the last minute, for security reasons.
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A high-stakes encounter between formidable rivalspublished at 12:14 BST
Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent, reporting from Beijing
Image source, ReutersI’ll be part of the White House reporters’ pool for this trip tracking Donald Trump close up when his itinerary starts tomorrow.
As his motorcade zooms into Beijing, the US president will see the incredible bustle mixed with the ascetic sense of order that strikes you here: the regimented police, the highly manicured parks, the gleaming skyscrapers denoting China’s rise to challenge the sole superpower status of America.
Trump tends to admire, envy even, the control exerted by a select number of his foreign counterparts – “strong†leaders as he puts it – and he was effusive with praise once again for President Xi Jinping before he left the US.
But beyond any flattery lies a high-stakes encounter between the leaders of the world’s biggest economies and most formidable rivals.
The trip was planned well before Trump’s war on Iran but was postponed once because of it. And with no signs of a breakthrough in his current pressure campaign, Trump will likely see if Beijing is prepared to exert any more its considerable leverage over Tehran – particularly to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
But for that, Xi will want something significant in return.
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Military police and bright flowers: Beijing gears up for Trumppublished at 12:02 BST
Stephen McDonell
China correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesThere are both police and military police stationed on street corners in central Beijing, especially around the five-star hotels where members of Trump’s entourage may be staying.
They are also standing guard on the walking bridges which cross main roads and at the entrances to pedestrian tunnels in the heart of the city.
The Chinese government usually steps up security for any visiting leader but, in the case of the US President, it has seems even more pronounced.
For weeks leading up to this trip there has been extra screening in the streets around Tiananmen Square.
The Great Hall of the People on the west side of this square, is where most of the events are taking place over the coming days, including ceremonies, meetings and a banquet.
But the vibe is not all dreary, with colourful boxes of newly grown flowers placed along the avenues where Trump’s motorcade will likely pass.
There are so many of them and they seem so impressive that there are jokes going around China’s social media about the high quality of these “taxpayer-funded flowersâ€.
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Nearly a decade on, Trump returns to a stronger and more assertive Chinapublished at 11:41 BST
Laura Bicker
China correspondentWhen China’s leader Xi Jinping hosts his American counterpart in Beijing, Donald Trump will be reminded of his last visit in 2017 – he was wooed hard, complete with dinner inside the Forbidden City, an honour no US president before him had received.
This reception promises to be just as grand, including a stop inside Zhongnanhai, the rarefied compound where China’s top leadership lives and works. The agenda too will be just as thorny, with Iran being a new source of tension, alongside trade, technology and Taiwan.
But a lot has changed as Trump returns to a stronger and far more assertive China.
Now well into an unprecedented third term, an ambitious Xi has been pushing forward with plans for “new productive forces” with heavy investments in renewable energy, robotics and artificial intelligence.
Not only does Washington now acknowledge Beijing as “near-peer”, one analyst describes China as “arguably the most powerful competitor that the US has confronted in its history”.
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How this summit could set superpower relations for many years to comepublished at 11:34 BST
Anthony Zurcher and Laura Bicker
Image source, ReutersThis summit between the world’s two most powerful leaders is set to be one of the most consequential encounters for years – with a number of key issues at stake.
China is trying to quietly play peacemaker in the Iran wasnow in its third month, but may want something in return for stepping in to help the US. Trump said he would have a “long talk” about Iran with Xi.
On Taiwanthe Trump administration has been sending mixed signals, approving a massive arms deal while downplaying its willingness to defend the island from Chinese aggression. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said they would discuss Taiwan on the trip, though the goal would be to ensure it does not become a source of new tensions.
As for tradeTrump will push to increase Chinese purchase of US agricultural products, while China is sure to pressure the US to drop its probe into unfair business practices which could allow Trump to reimpose higher tariffs on Chinese goods.
Xi hopes China’s investment in AI will help propel its economy forward. But many in the US are wary of Chinese firms stealing their technology – leading to US restrictions on exporting the latest microprocessors. This is where Beijing could use its leverage over rare earthsand there may be a deal to be done.
Read this story for more analysis from our correspondents.
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Trump to meet Xi in Beijing in first trip to China in nearly 10 yearspublished at 11:25 BST
Image source, ReutersUS President Donald Trump will soon arrive in Beijing – the first visit to China by a US leader in nearly 10 years – ahead of a high-stakes meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping
Air Force One will on Wednesday arrive in the Chinese capital, kicking off a two-day visit that was originally meant to be held in March, but was rescheduled after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran.
The war, and China’s emerging role in mediating a resolution, are likely to be discussed, though Trump said before leaving the US he didn’t need Xi’s help with Iran.
Trade, technology and Taiwan are also expected to be discussed. Trump announced on Truth Social he would be asking his counterpart, who he described as a person of “extraordinary distinction”, to “open up” China to US major tech companies – whose leaders are joining him on the trip.
For Beijing’s part, top of the agenda will be extending the trade truce agreed last October that halted tariff escalation between both countries.
The trip, the first Trump has made to Beijing since 2017, will include an arrival ceremony at China’s Great Hall of the People and a stop at Zhongnanhai, the compound where China’s top leadership lives and work. We’ll bring you updates and analysis of key moments over the course of the trip.
