Air Force One landed at Beijing Capital International Airport at approximately 7:51 a.m. ET on Wednesday morning (Thursday in China). After taxiing for about eight minutes, President Donald Trump deplaned at 8:08 a.m. ET and was greeted by Chinese Vice President H.E. Han Zheng, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. H.E. Xie Feng, and Executive Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Ma Zhaoxu. Following him were his son Eric and daughter-in-law Lara Trump, along with several other passengers, including SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
The welcoming ceremony featured roughly 300 Chinese youth waving miniature American and Chinese flags, alongside a military honor guard and band. The children chanted “Welcome, welcome! Warm welcome!” in Chinese as part of the formal reception. Trump has no additional public events scheduled for Wednesday, but he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping multiple times on Thursday and Friday, including bilateral talks and a formal state banquet.
Among the key issues expected to top the agenda is the possible creation of a U.S.-China trade board to manage disputes between the two nations. Supporters of the proposal say it could stabilize the global economy and reduce geopolitical tensions. Trump indicated that his first request to President Xi will be to open China further to U.S. businesses, highlighting the focus on trade and investment during the visit.
Trump also addressed reports about the delegation, countering claims that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was not invited. In a Truth Social post, he confirmed Huang is aboard Air Force One alongside other prominent business leaders, including Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Larry Fink, Stephen Schwarzman, Jane Fraser, and others. Nvidia confirmed Huang’s participation, emphasizing his role in supporting U.S. technology and AI leadership while navigating export controls with China.
Although trade and global economic issues are central to the visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also expressed hope that Trump will address the war in Ukraine during his trip. With multiple high-stakes discussions on the agenda, the visit marks a significant diplomatic moment between the U.S. and China amid ongoing global and regional challenges.