Hundreds of Chinese students dressed in bright clothing, waving flowers and small flags of China and the United States, formed the honor guard with which Xi Jinping welcomed Donald Trump this Thursday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, in a ceremony filled with diplomatic symbolism that went viral on social media.
The scene depicted Trump—dressed in a dark suit and red tie—walking smilingly alongside Xi Jinping—in a dark blue suit—on a red carpet, as girls waved flowers and boys raised flags of both countries. At one point during the ceremony, Trump gave a friendly pat on the arm of the Chinese leader.
Xi Jinping descended 39 red-carpeted steps to formally welcome his American counterpart. The reception included a 21-gun salute, the performance of the American national anthem by a military band, and a review of a honor guard from the People’s Liberation Army marching in formation, with an officer bearing a sword.
Large flags from both countries hung from the building, held by soldiers, while Tiananmen Square remained completely clear, with access restricted to officials, journalists, and military personnel.
The reception echoes and expands upon the symbolism of the first visit of Trump to China in November 2017, when Beijing deployed an honor guard of 18,000 soldiers —the largest formation for a foreign leader at that time, according to the official agency Xinhua—. The current visit, taking place from May 13 to 15, is the first by a sitting U.S. president to China in nearly nine years.
Trump arrived on Wednesday at the Beijing Capital International Airport at 7:50 PM local time aboard Air Force One, where he was greeted by Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, the Chinese ambassador to the United States Xie Feng, and Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, along with 300 young Chinese holding flags and a military band.
The U.S. delegation accompanying Trump includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio —who is making his first official trip to China in this role despite having been previously sanctioned by Beijing— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Elon Musk, and Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia.
The agenda for the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing includes bilateral trade, technology, Taiwan, and Iran. Among Washington's trade objectives are Chinese commitments to purchase soybeans, liquefied natural gas, and Boeing airplanes.
The summit aims to extend the trade truce agreed upon in Busan, South Korea, in October 2025, which suspended tariffs that had escalated to 145% from Washington and 125% from Beijing. As a prelude, Chinese Vice President He Lifeng and Bessent met on May 12 and 13 in South Korea for final trade negotiations.
The Chatham House Institute warned that "the short agenda reflects a shared preference for managing rivalry rather than resolving it," an assessment that encapsulates the moderate expectations with which both parties approach this summit between the two leading global powers.
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