American President Donald Trump is visiting Beijing, where Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping has given him a warm welcome, while promising a group of American business leaders accompanying the US president that his country’s door to the world “will continue to open wider and wider,” according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.
Xi Jinping’s promise to 17 American CEOs for China’s “opening”
In his opening remarks, Xi Jinping argued that the global situation is changing rapidly and that the international scene is characterized by uncertainty and turbulence. Xi directly posed the question of whether the two countries can avoid the so-called “Thucydides Trap,” a theory describing the risk of conflict between a rising and a dominant power.
For his part, Donald Trump spoke with particularly warm words about Xi Jinping and relations between the two countries. The American president characterized their relationship as “fantastic” and emphasized that he has “great respect” for the Chinese leader and China. He also called Xi a “great leader.” Trump also mentioned that the American delegation looks forward to talks on mutual trade between the two countries. “It is an honor to be here,” the American president said at the start of the meeting.
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, after completing their opening statements at the Great Hall of the People, continued with closed-door bilateral talks. The American delegation includes government officials from the Trump administration, as well as top business leaders. Among them are NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Apple chief Tim Cook.
From Tim Cook and Elon Musk to top Wall Street executives and White House officials, here are some of the biggest names spotted alongside President Donald Trump at his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing: https://t.co/ryGdg2r7Ww pic.twitter.com/ldGRbH1L1Q
— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) May 14, 2026
Xi Jinping’s promise to 17 American CEOs for China’s “opening”
Specifically, Xi Jinping, referring to China’s “opening,” said according to Xinhua: “American companies are deeply involved in China’s reform and opening up, and both sides benefit from this. China’s door will continue to open wider and wider. China is pleased that the United States is strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation with it and is convinced that American companies will have even better prospects in China.”
President Xi also welcomed a “new positioning” of bilateral relations with the United States following the summit with Trump, reported Chinese state television CCTV. Xi said the two leaders agreed that building a constructive, strategically stable relationship would guide bilateral relations for the next three years and beyond, CCTV reported.
Furthermore, China’s Foreign Ministry announced that the two presidents discussed the situation in the Middle East, Ukraine, and the Korean Peninsula today. “The two heads of state exchanged views on major international and regional issues, primarily the situation in the Middle East, the crisis in Ukraine, and the Korean Peninsula,” was announced by the Chinese ministry without further clarification.
Trump receives state honors from Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People
With strict protocol and military honors at Tiananmen Square, Xi Jinping welcomed Donald Trump to the Great Hall of the People, marking the beginning of their crucial meeting in Beijing. The two leaders, under their countries’ national anthems and in the presence of military formations, exchanged handshakes before talks on trade, technology, and the Iran crisis.
In his remarks, Xi stated that “the world has reached a new crossroads” and called on the US and China to act as “partners, not rivals.” For his part, Trump characterized his relationship with the Chinese president as “fantastic” and expressed his “great respect” for him and China. Trump’s motorcade arrived at Tiananmen Square shortly after 5 AM Thursday (Greece time), where the American president was received with an official ceremony by Xi Jinping.
.@POTUS greets Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People pic.twitter.com/wXkwVPg6fS
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2026
The two leaders exchanged handshakes in front of the Great Hall of the People, the venue where China’s top political events take place, including annual sessions of the Chinese parliament and the country’s highest advisory institutions.
BREAKING: President Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of People in Beijing. pic.twitter.com/2VndUX993g
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 14, 2026
Red carpet, military band and flags mark Trump’s official reception by Xi in Beijing
During the official welcoming ceremony, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping stood at the center of the square, while a military band played first the American and then the Chinese national anthem. Subsequently, the two presidents walked along a red carpet in front of lined-up military formations, to the sounds of ceremonial music. Along the red carpet, children held flags of the US and China, as well as bouquets, cheering the two leaders.
Trump greeted both the American and Chinese delegations of officials waiting for him in the square.
NOW: President Trump watches a ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping after arriving at the Great Hall of People in Beijing. pic.twitter.com/wjohigbKtE
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 14, 2026
Xi Jinping: “The whole world is watching our meeting”
In his opening remarks, Xi Jinping argued that the global situation is changing rapidly and that the international scene is characterized by uncertainty and turbulence. “The whole world is watching our meeting. At this moment, transformations unseen for a century are accelerating globally, and the international situation is fluid and turbulent,” the Chinese president said.
Xi directly posed the question of whether the two countries can avoid the so-called “Thucydides Trap,” a theory describing the risk of conflict between a rising and a dominant power. “The world has reached a new crossroads. Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides Trap and create a new model of relations?” he said characteristically.
.@POTUS meets with President Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing:
“It’s an honor to be with you, it’s an honor to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the U.S.A. is going to be better than ever before. Thank you very much!” pic.twitter.com/aepz02qOgj
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2026
The Chinese president also emphasized the need for cooperation between the two countries in facing global challenges. “Can we together address global challenges and provide more stability to the world? Can we, for the benefit of the world, our two peoples, and the future of humanity, build a brighter future for our bilateral relations?” he said.
In closing, Xi characterized these issues as “questions of vital importance to history, to the world, and to our peoples,” adding that they constitute “the questions of our time” that the two leaders are called upon to answer. Xi called on the two countries to choose cooperation over confrontation. “We must be partners, not rivals, succeed for each other, prosper together, and shape a proper way of coexistence for great powers in the new era,” the Chinese president declared.
Donald Trump: “I have great respect for Xi and China”
For his part, Donald Trump spoke with particularly warm words about Xi Jinping and relations between the two countries. The American president characterized their relationship as “fantastic” and emphasized that he has “great respect” for the Chinese leader and China.
He also called Xi a “great leader.” Trump also mentioned that the American delegation looks forward to talks on mutual trade between the two countries. “It is an honor to be here,” the American president said at the start of the meeting.
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping completed their opening statements at the Great Hall of the People, followed by closed-door bilateral talks. The American delegation includes government officials from the Trump administration, as well as top business leaders. Among them are NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Apple chief Tim Cook.
