U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing, China, on the evening of the 13th ahead of a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 14th.
According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television (CCTV), Air Force One carrying President Trump arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport at about 7:49 p.m. local time that day. Around 8:13 p.m., Trump stepped off the plane and headed downtown by car. At the airport, senior Chinese officials, including Vice President Han Zheng, who ranks fifth in China's leadership, welcomed Trump. The welcoming crowd waved China's five-star red flag and the U.S. Stars and Stripes to greet Trump.
Accompanying Trump on his trip to China were major corporations executives, including Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, Kelly Ortberg, CEO of Boeing, and Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, also joined at the last minute from Alaska.
Visiting Beijing for the first time in about nine years since his first term in 2017, Trump will meet Xi about half a year after the U.S.-China summit on Oct. 30 last year on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Busan. The two leaders are expected to discuss issues including semiconductors and rare earths, as well as Taiwan and Iran, at their 10 a.m. summit on the 14th. That afternoon, they will visit the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan) together and hold a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People. On the 15th, after a tea time and working lunch between the leaders, Trump will head home.
CCTV said, "President Trump paid a state visit at the invitation of President Xi," and noted, "Xi will exchange in-depth views with President Trump on major issues such as China-U.S. relations and world peace and development."