Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing on Thursday with full military honours.
Television footage showed the two leaders sharing a lengthy handshake and exchanging brief remarks at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing. They later greeted officials from each other’s delegations before inspecting a military guard during the official ceremony.
Trump also acknowledged cheering children waving small American flags and holding flowers.
Among those attending were prominent business leaders such as Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple, and Elon Musk, founder of Tesla, alongside senior U.S. officials including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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Trump and Xi last met ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea in late October, where both sides agreed to ease tensions in their ongoing tariff dispute. Trade is expected to remain a key focus during Thursday’s discussions.
China is also expected to raise concerns over U.S. backing for Taiwan, while Washington is likely to discuss Beijing’s relationship with Iran and its potential influence on Tehran.
Ahead of the talks, China’s state news agency Xinhua called for stable ties between the two nations, saying China-U.S. relations were too important to collapse. The commentary stressed that cooperation between Beijing and Washington remains vital on major global issues including trade, financial markets, climate change and artificial intelligence.
NAN
