Beijing: US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a closely watched summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the world’s two largest economies seek to ease mounting geopolitical and trade tensions.

Trump, making the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade, was welcomed at Beijing Capital International Airport with an elaborate reception featuring hundreds of young Chinese waving American and Chinese flags.

Travelling with the US president were several leading business figures, including Elon Musk and Jensen Huang, underlining Washington’s focus on securing economic and technology agreements during the trip.

Ahead of his arrival, Trump said he hoped to encourage China to “open up” further to American businesses and innovation. Huang’s presence drew particular attention given ongoing US restrictions on the export of advanced AI chips to China.

Iran, trade and Taiwan expected to dominate talks

Trump and Xi are scheduled to hold formal talks on Thursday at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, followed by a state banquet and additional meetings on Friday.

The summit comes amid heightened global tensions over Iran, trade disputes and Taiwan. Trump said he expected a “long talk” with Xi regarding the ongoing US-Israeli conflict involving Iran, though he downplayed the need for Chinese assistance on the issue.

Trade is also expected to feature prominently on the agenda following years of tariff disputes between Washington and Beijing. The two leaders are likely to discuss extending a temporary tariff truce reached during their previous meeting in South Korea last year.

Issues surrounding rare earth exports, agricultural trade and US arms sales to Taiwan are also expected to be raised during the discussions.

China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing welcomed the visit and was prepared to “expand cooperation and manage differences” with the United States.

Security was visibly tightened across Beijing ahead of the summit, with increased police checks and monitoring reported across key public areas and transport hubs.