At 4 p.m. on the 11th (local time), at a five-star hotel in an area dense with embassies in Beijing. As soon as we stepped into the hotel entrance, six crew-cut men in black T-shirts and black pants with the five-star red flag (China's national flag) emblazoned on the right chest filed out.
Most of the exits were locked, with only one open. Upon entering the hotel lobby, about 10 people seated around a large table stood out. Believed to be Chinese and U.S. security personnel, they appeared to be discussing routes and other details with documents and a building floor plan spread out.
This is believed to be the hotel where U.S. President Donald Trump will stay one day before his visit to Beijing. The hotel is a North American global chain, and its royal suite, equipped with a private office and dining room, is known to cost more than 100,000 yuan (about 21.71 million won) per night. Its proximity to the U.S. Embassy in China is seen as advantageous for securing security and protocol routes. The Great Hall of the People, where President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet, and the Temple of Heaven Park are each 11 kilometers away.
Instead of its characteristic leisurely vibe, the hotel was filled with palpable tension and busyness that day. During roughly 15 minutes in the lobby, people who looked like ordinary guests could be counted on one hand. Instead, dozens of security personnel moved in small groups carrying walkie-talkies and black document files. In one corner of the lobby, local security staff were also seen giving a briefing or holding a meeting. The staff appeared busier with various advance preparations than with guest services.
In the parking lot, not only public security vehicles but also several Jeeps with armed police license plates were parked. Near the hotel, five soldiers in uniform were also spotted discussing something with on-site officials. They continued their conversation while pointing with their fingers toward the building's perimeter and the entrances. However, it was reported that no separate notices on traffic control or pedestrian restrictions around the hotel had been issued yet.
Some had speculated that President Trump would stay in Wangfujing, which is closer to the Great Hall of the People, where the summit will be held, and where U.S. hotels are concentrated, but the major hotels in Wangfujing visited the same day were relatively calm.
Unlike the hotels near the embassy, where reservations were blocked during President Trump's visit, all the U.S.-brand hotels in Wangfujing were available for booking. At one hotel, dozens of overseas group tourists were checking in at the time of the reporter's visit.
However, as a large delegation of government and business figures, including White House aides and the accompanying party, will visit Beijing with President Trump, preparations on the ground also seemed to be quietly underway in Wangfujing. In front of a large hotel in Wangfujing, more than 10 uniformed private security company personnel were seen moving in a line. The firm handles event and facility security and safety management.
Meanwhile, President Trump will arrive in Beijing on the evening of the 13th. According to the White House, after an official welcome ceremony on the morning of the 14th, President Trump will hold a summit with Xi, visit the Temple of Heaven Park, one of Beijing's major tourist attractions, and attend a state dinner. On the 15th, tea time and a luncheon are scheduled. A U.S. presidential visit to China is the first in about nine years since 2017, the first term of the Trump administration, and the U.S.-China summit comes six months after the Oct. 30 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Busan last year.