‘Honour like few I’ve ever seen’: Trump praises China red carpet welcome during Xi meeting

Beijing: US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for his first official China visit in nearly a decade, receiving an elaborate state welcome from Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People. The ceremony included military honours, the US national anthem performed by a Chinese military band and cheering schoolchildren waving pompoms.

Trump described the reception as one of the greatest honours he had ever received and praised Xi Jinping during the opening moments of the summit.

Xi Jinping calls for cooperation over confrontation

Chinese President Xi Jinping used the opening meeting to stress the importance of stable relations between the world’s two largest economies. Xi warned against the so-called “Thucydides Trap”, a theory suggesting conflict can emerge between a rising power and an established global power.

Xi said China and the United States should remain partners rather than rivals and argued that cooperation between both countries would benefit global stability and economic growth. He also said the world was closely watching the summit due to increasing international uncertainty.

Trump responded with warm remarks, calling Xi a “great leader” and saying relations between China and the United States would become “better than ever before”. He highlighted the presence of several top American business executives in his delegation and said companies were eager to expand trade opportunities with China.

Trump described the summit as potentially one of the biggest diplomatic meetings in recent years and expressed confidence about future economic cooperation.

Several prominent American business leaders accompanied Trump to Beijing, including Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Nvidia leader Jensen Huang. Executives described early discussions as positive and productive.

Musk told reporters that “many good things” had already been achieved, while Huang praised both Trump and Xi during the opening phase of the summit.

Iran conflict and global tensions shadow talks

The summit comes at a time of rising geopolitical tensions involving Iran and increasing divisions within US politics over military involvement in the Middle East. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington hoped China would play a more active role in helping reduce tensions linked to Iran.

Rubio described China as America’s most important long-term geopolitical relationship and said both countries needed to manage disagreements carefully to avoid future conflict.

Beyond diplomatic symbolism, discussions are expected to focus heavily on trade relations, advanced technology competition, tariffs, Taiwan and broader global security concerns. Analysts believe the outcome of the summit could shape international relations and the global economy for years to come.