Trump arrives in Beijing for first bilateral meeting hosted in China in nearly a decade

US President Donald Trump touched down in Beijing on Wednesday for a highly anticipated summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with trade, the Iran war, Taiwan, and nuclear arms on the agenda. Trump was greeted on the tarmac by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, China's ambassador to Washington Xie Feng, and US envoy to Beijing David Perdue. Han's presence was seen as a sign of respect from Beijing, as he is considered a higher-level leader than State Councilor Yang Jiechi, who greeted Trump during his 2017 visit.

The welcoming ceremony included a military honor guard, a brass band, and about 300 Chinese youths waving Chinese and American flags and chanting, "Welcome, welcome! Warm welcome!" lined the path to Trump's waiting limousine.

The substantive meetings are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, with Trump set to hold bilateral talks with Xi at the Great Hall of the People, attend a state banquet, and visit Beijing's Zhongnanhai Garden, the Communist Party's headquarters. The two leaders are also expected to tour the Temple of Heaven before Trump departs on Friday following a working lunch.

Trade is expected to dominate the agenda, with Trump seeking deals that would see China purchase more American soybeans, beef, and aircraft. Trump brought a large delegation of top American business executives, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, and Boeing CEO Robert Ortberg. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg has said he is "highly confident" of a large plane order emerging from the summit. The Trump administration also hopes to establish a Board of Trade with China to address ongoing economic differences stemming from last year's tariff war.

Additionally, Trump plans to raise the prospect of a three-way nuclear arms agreement between the US, China, and Russia. China has previously shown little interest in such a deal, with Beijing's arsenal estimated at over 600 operational warheads compared to more than 5,000 each held by Washington and Moscow.

Taiwan is also high on the agenda, with Trump set to discuss an $11 billion US arms package for the island, the largest ever approved, that Washington authorized in December but has not yet begun delivering.

Meanwhile, the Iran war looms over the summit despite Trump's insistence that the conflict is "very much under control" and his dismissal of it to reporters on Tuesday as a key agenda item. The war has led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, stranding oil and natural gas tankers and driving energy prices to levels that could threaten global economic growth. Nevertheless, this closure directly impacts China, as they are Iran's primary oil importer, making up roughly 80%-90% of Iran's seaborne crude exports. 

This comes following Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's visit to Beijing just last week, underscoring China's role as a key player in any potential resolution.