On May 13, 2026, Air Force One smoothly landed at Beijing Capital International Airport, signifying the commencement of President Donald J. Trump’s second visit to China. The U.S. delegation was greeted by Han Zheng, Vice President of the People’s Republic of China. The protocol observed for this airport reception at Beijing Capital International Airport was exceptionally rare; in the diplomatic history of the People’s Republic of China, this marks only the fourth instance in which a “national-level” leader has personally gone to the airport to welcome a guest.
The next day, the President met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, inspecting the People’s Liberation Army together. Later, both delegations entered the hall and held talks. The US delegation included President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, US trade representative Jamieson Greer, and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. In addition to the government officials, the President also brought a delegation of U.S. CEOs, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, demonstrating this administration’s determination to open the Chinese market for U.S. companies. The Chinese delegation included President Xi Jinping, Executive Secretary of the Central Secretariat Cai Qi, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Vice Premier of the State Council He Lifeng.
The meeting lasted for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Both delegations exchanged ideas on the current situation in the Middle East, the Russian-Ukrainian war, and the Korean Peninsula. Both agreed on the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, strengthening economic cooperation, and combatting fentanyl smuggling. According to the meeting notes released by Xinhua News, the state press of China, President Xi warned that the situation of the Taiwan Strait is the most essential issue between China and the United States: “Taiwan independence and peace across the Taiwan Strait are mutually exclusive; maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait constitutes the greatest common denominator between China and the United States.” However, the White House website didn’t include details regarding Taiwan, but rather put emphasis on energy, trade, and issues of Iran.
The cultural activities following the talks signaled a more relaxed relationship between the two countries. The next day, President Trump was invited to President Xi’s official Residence Zhongnanhai. As the official residence of Chinese government officials, Zhongnanhai has rarely been opened to foreign politicians, only to Presidents Nixon, G. W. Bush, and Obama, and Russian President Vladimir Putin previously. When President Trump expressed an interest in Chinese roses, President Xi decided to give the American delegation some seeds as a gift. Chinese roses often symbolize beauty, peace, and friendship.
President Trump left Beijing on May 15, but all 17 CEOs stayed to attend further meetings with respective government officials and the Chinese businessmen, hoping to translate the consensus of the talks into concrete contracts.
Both countries highly praised the trip and delineated the future of the Chinese-US relationship.
