Donald Trump landed in Beijing on Wednesday evening, the first US presidential visit to China in nearly a decade, opening two days of summit talks with 
Xi Jinping overshadowed by the Iran war. Air Force One touched down at Beijing Capital International Airport at about 7.50pm local time, with Vice President Han Zheng leading an arrival ceremony that included Chinese ambassador to the US Xie Feng and Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, Channel News Asia reported. The senior-level airport welcome broke from recent practice of dispatching lower-ranked state councillors to receive visiting US presidents.
Who came with the president? Trump travelled with a delegation of US business leaders including 
Elon Musk, Nvidia chief Jensen Huang and Apple's Tim Cook, alongside his son Eric and daughter-in-law Lara, the Guardian reported. The delegation is "locked in on trade issues" as the president seeks to "open up" China to American firms, the Japan Times reported, citing the language Trump used on Truth Social after departing Washington.
What dominates the agenda? The Iran war is expected to take precedence over the next two days, with discussions on US arms sales to Taiwan, mutual trade and artificial intelligence also on the table, Channel News Asia reported. US officials have spent weeks urging China — Iran's biggest oil customer — to pressure Tehran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and Washington recently sanctioned several Chinese firms accused of assisting Iranian oil shipments, drawing condemnation from Beijing as "illegal unilateral sanctions."
How does the president frame his leverage? "I don't think we need any help with Iran," Trump told reporters at the White House before departing, saying the US would "win it one way or the other — peacefully or otherwise," the Guardian reported. He also played down divisions with Beijing, describing Xi as "relatively friendly."
Figures referenced: Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Elon Musk. — JudgeMarket.
