Today's Edition
BEIJING/SEOUL (REUTERS)
President Donald Trump landed in Beijing accompanied by an entourage that included Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Elon Musk on Wednesday after pledging to urge China's Xi Jinping to "open up" to US business at the start of their two-day summit.
Trump embarks on the first visit by a US president to China in nearly a decade eager to snag some deals, maintain a trade truce with the world's second economy, and prop up public approval ratings.
The CEOs accompanying Trump are drawn mainly from companies seeking to resolve business issues with China, such as Nvidia. Trump asked Huang at the last minute to join the trip, said a source familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity, and he was spotted boarding Air Force One during a refuelling stop in Alaska en route to Beijing.
"I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to 'open up' China so that these brilliant people can work their magic," he said in post on Truth Social, referring to the CEO delegation.
"I will make that my very first request."
Asked about Trump's post, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, said Beijing stands ready to "expand cooperation, manage differences and inject more stability and certainty into the turbulent world".
As Trump prepared for the pomp-filled occasion, his trade negotiator Scott Bessent wrapped up three hours of preparatory talks with Chinese officials in South Korea. China's official Xinhua news agency described them as "candid, in-depth and constructive", but officials did not offer any detailed summary.
Trump's two days of meetings will include a grand reception at The Great Hall of the People, a tour of UNESCO heritage site Temple of Heaven and a state banquet.
Apart from trade, the talks will cover a host of subjects, from the Iran war to US arms sales.
Trump is widely expected to encourage China to convince Tehran to make a deal with Washington to end the conflict.
While Trump rubbed shoulders with executives aboard Air Force One, Bessent held his latest round of trade negotiations with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at a VIP reception room at South Korea's Incheon airport. The talks ran about three hours to end just before 0700 GMT, a US official said.
The two sides are eager to maintain a truce struck last October in which Trump suspended triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods and Xi backed away from limiting global supplies of rare earths, vital in making items from electric cars to weapons.
They are also expected to discuss forums to support mutual trade and investment and dialogue on AI issues, while Washington looks to sell Boeing airplanes, farm goods and energy to China to cut a trade deficit, US officials have said.
Beijing, for its part, wants the US to ease curbs on exports of chipmaking equipment and advanced semiconductors.
