Trump, Xi meet in Beijing for talks

US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met Thursday in Beijing for a high-stakes summit, with trade and the Iran war expected to dominate the agenda.

Xi hosted a welcoming ceremony for Trump at the Great Hall of the People.

Trump arrived Wednesday evening at Beijing Capital International Airport, where he was welcomed by Vice President Han Zheng as a military band played alongside dozens of cheering youths waving flags.

It marked the first official visit to China by a sitting US president since Trump’s visit in 2017 during his previous term.

The Middle East conflict and Taiwan as well as trade and tariffs are high on the agenda.

Trump is accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth along with numerous CEOs of major US companies, including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Tesla’s Elon Musk.

The US business delegation also includes Apple’s Tim Cook, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, Cargill’s Brian Sikes, Citigroup’s Jane Fraser, GE Aerospace’s Larry Culp, Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon, Micron’s Sanjay Mehrotra and Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon.

Trump’s son Eric Trump and his wife, Lara Trump, are also accompanying the president and disembarked from the plane shortly after him.

First lady Melania Trump is not accompanying the president, unlike in 2017, when the two were hosted by Xi and Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan.

The visit comes amid the Middle East conflict, triggered after US and Israeli forces launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting retaliation against Israel and US allies in the Gulf along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A prolonged ceasefire is currently in effect.

China has reiterated calls for dialogue in the region, while Washington has accused Beijing of supporting Iran’s military and economic capabilities.