Donald Trump has arrived in China for a key summit with President Xi Jinping, promising the trip will bring “great things” for both countries.
The U.S. commander-in-chief was joined on Air Force One by an entourage of tech CEOs and billionaires, including Elon Musk and Apple boss Tim Cook.
Writing on Truth Social before departing for Beijing, Trump wrote: “I am very much looking forward to my trip to China, an amazing Country, with a Leader, President Xi, respected by all. Great things will happen for both Countries!”
China is reportedly preparing a grand welcome for Trump, including a state banquet, but the real focus will be on tense negotiations on a range of subjects from trade to war.
Beijing has quietly tried to act as a mediator in the ongoing Iran conflict as rising oil prices have hit China’s already slowing economy. In return for helping ease tensions, China is likely to seek concessions from Washington.
Taiwan will also be a major issue. The U.S. continues supporting Taiwan militarily, while Trump has sent mixed signals about how strongly America would defend the island, which China claims as its own.
Key Points
- Trump is now in Beijing... what comes next?
- In pictures: US president arrives to fanfare in China
- Trump arrives in China flanked by CEOs and billionaires
- What Trump and Xi will discuss during China visit – and what could go wrong
- Trump says talks will bring 'great things' for US and China as he leaves for Beijing
Analysis: A humiliated Trump will be played by China
14:37 , Maroosha MuzaffarTrump arrives in China exasperated that he has achieved none of his war aims in Iran – something President Xi will use to his advantage, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley.
Trump was expecting a “big fat hug” from China when he visits Xi Jinping this week in thanks for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
He won’t get one, though, because he’s failed to end the throttling of Beijing’s oil supplies. Good news for China, because Trump is indifferent to his own failure.
Bad news for Taiwan. Bad news for the West. Bad news for US allies around the world. Bad news for democracies in general.
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Musk's Trump redemption arc complete as he joins critical China trip
14:13 , Alex CroftOne of the more interesting storylines in Trump’s critical visit to Beijing is the invitation for Elon Musk, the world’s richest man
Mr Musk, who owns Tesla, SpaceX, and has a net worth estimated to be between $600bn to $800bn, was once excoriating in his criticism of the president when the two fell out last year.
"Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" Musk wrote in July 2025, in a now-deleted tweet.
But the pair’s relationship has been mended to such an extent that Musk was invited onboard Air Force One for the trip to China, Trump’s most crucial and high-profile visit out of the US of his second term.
Trump touches down in Beijing... what comes next?
13:43 , Alex CroftDonald Trump has touched down in Beijing, in what is set to be a landmark moment for China-US relations.
It is the first time a US president has visited China since November 2017, when Trump visited Xi Jinping months into his first term.
The visit is underlined by deepening tensions between the rival superpowers, characterised by an intensifying trade war, strong technological competition, and disputes over new US tariffs.
In Beijing, the time is now 8:30pm on Wednesday. There is nothing currently on the schedule, with the visit set to begin in earnest on Thursday morning.
At 10am on Thursday (Wednesday 10pm ET, Thursday 3am BST), Trump will be greeted by Xi at the Great Hall of the People.
The pair will hold a bilateral meeting at 10:15am local time, before having tea together a 11:40am (Wednesday 11:40pm ET, Thursday 4:40am BST).
At 6pm on Thursday (6am ET, 11am BST) Trump will participate in a state banquet in the Great Hall.
Following lunch with Xi on at 12:15pm on Friday (12:15am ET, 5:15am BST) the president will depart Beijing and return to the White House.
In pictures: Trump arrives to fanfare in China
13:24 , Alex Croft
Trump welcomed by flag-waving students
13:13 , Sam RkainaTrump has now stepped off the plane to pomp and pageantry.
Dozens of Chinese students are waving flags in honor of the U.S. president’s arrival, flanked by a military guard.
Trump has been met by Han Zheng, the vice president of the People’s Republic of China, before being escorted to a waiting motorcade.
What Trump and Xi will discuss during China visit – and what could go wrong
13:10 , Maroosha MuzaffarTrump is making the first presidential visit to China in almost a decade, at a time when an increasingly drawn-out conflict with Iran is hammering his approval ratings at home and leaving the Republicans desperate for a visible foreign policy win.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Trump pushed back this summit from a planned date in late March to a time when the White House assumed its brief “excursion” in the Middle East would be over, allowing the Americans to negotiate from a position of strength.
Instead, the U.S. seems no closer to wrapping up the war with Iran, and it is China that has come out of the situation looking like a beacon of stability, with its close ally Tehran still standing and its economy largely shielded from the global fallout of the Strait of Hormuz’s closure.
First pictures of Air Force One arriving in Beijing
13:05 , Sam Rkaina
Trump arrives in China flanked by CEOs and billionaires
13:02 , Sam RkainaPresident Trump has arrived in Beijing accompanied by an entourage that included Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Elon Musk after pledging to urge China's Xi Jinping to "open up" to U.S. business at the start of their two-day summit.
Trump‘s trip is the first visit by a U.S. president to China in nearly a decade.
The commander in chief will be eager to make deals, maintain a fragile trade truce with the world's second economy, and prop up public approval ratings bruised by his war with Iran.
The CEOs accompanying Trump are drawn mainly from companies seeking to resolve business issues with China, such as Nvidia, which has struggled to get regulatory permission to sell its powerful H200 artificial intelligence chips there.
Trump arrives in Beijing
12:56 , Sam RkainaDonald Trump has landed in Beijing ahead of his two day summit with Xi Jinping.
Air Force One just touched down at the airport just before 8 p.m. local time.
Elon Musk, Tim Cook and other CEOs join Trump’s China trip
Tuesday 12 May 2026 10:53 , Maroosha MuzaffarHigh-profile executives including Tesla's Elon Musk and Apple's Tim Cook, are joining President Trump on his visit to China.
Musk and other business leaders in the U.S. delegation have major business interests in China, with international traded expected to be high on the agenda.
Trump posted about his billion dollar entourage on Truth Social as the group headed to Beijing on Wednesday.
“It is an Honor to have Jensen, Elon, Tim Apple, Larry Fink, Stephen Schwarzmann, Kelly Ortberg (Boeing), Brian Sikes (Cargill), Jane Fraser (Citi), Larry Culp (GE Aerospace), David Solomon (Goldman Sachs), Sanjay Mehrotra (Micron), Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm), and many others journeying to the Great Country of China,” Trump wrote.
Trump says talks will bring 'great things' for US and China as he leaves for Beijing
Tuesday 12 May 2026 10:21 , Maroosha MuzaffarDonald Trump said he is eager for his trip to China, describing the country as “amazing” and praising Xi Jinping as he left for Beijing.
Trump said he expects “great things” for both nations from the visit.
A large group of top American business leaders, including executives from major tech, finance, aerospace and manufacturing companies, will accompany him.
The visit, scheduled from 13 May to 15 May, will focus on trade, tariffs, Taiwan, Iran, artificial intelligence and critical minerals.
Both sides are expected to discuss improving economic ties, possible cooperation in sectors such as energy and agriculture, and extending a trade truce agreed last year.
Iran will also feature prominently, with US officials planning to raise concerns about China’s links with Tehran.
