SHANGHAI/TOKYO -- U.S. President Donald Trump is making his first visit to China in nearly nine years, as the rival superpowers aim to stabilize their fraught relationship.
The American president arrived Wednesday evening and is scheduled to stay until Friday. An itinerary released by the White House includes plenty of face time with Chinese President Xi Jinping, from formal bilateral talks starting Thursday morning to a state banquet, tea and a working lunch.
Their discussions are expected to touch on a host of hot topics, such as the Iran war, trade and export controls, tensions over Taiwan, and artificial intelligence. Trump is bringing an entourage of corporate executives including Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook and Nvidia's Jensen Huang. There are high expectations that the president will help seal commercial deals for aircraft and U.S. farm goods.
Follow Trump's stay in China with us here.
Further reading:
Xi warns Trump that handling Taiwan issue 'poorly' risks a 'clash'
Set to host Trump, Xi targets stability under cloud of Iran uncertainty
China Inc.'s global growth curbs Trump tariff powers undercut by courts
Trump-Xi summit: 5 things to watch as world's most powerful men meet
Trump-Xi meeting keeps Taiwan on edge, eyeing subtle US shifts
The latest developments (Beijing time):
Thursday, May 14
5:55 p.m. Trump is arriving back at the Great Hall of the People for a state banquet with Xi, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
5:41 p.m. The White House released this short summary of today's "good" talks. There is no mention of Taiwan. The notes about Chinese investment in the U.S. and purchases of American oil will draw attention, but the details remain to be seen.
5:00 p.m. Chinese Premier Li Qiang met business leaders, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook, on Thursday afternoon. Footage of the meeting showed BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Meta President Dina Powell McCormick also in attendance.
"I see many familiar faces and old friends," Li said in televised opening remarks. He stressed that "China and the U.S. can and should continue to be friends and partners."
4:40 p.m. There have been no surprises from the summit so far, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council says, according to Reuters. It says Taipei remains in close contact with Washington.
4:15 p.m. As Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's attendance in the bilateral meeting fuels speculation over whether Washington will ease export curbs over its AI chips, China's commerce ministry has noted the country's role in the AI supply chain.
"China is a key supplier of global AI infrastructure," a ministry spokesperson said during a regular briefing on Thursday afternoon, adding that it is both "a major buyer and seller" of semiconductors.
For the first four months of the year, China's chip exports grew 83.7% year-on-year in dollar terms and 10.6% by volume, according to customs data.
Regarding the outcomes of the U.S.-China trade talks on Wednesday, the spokesperson only commented that China is willing to "expand the list of cooperation opportunities and reduce the list of problems."
3:30 p.m. Here are a few more scenes from Trump's first full day in Beijing.
1:10 p.m. After their meeting, Trump and Xi head for a tour of the Temple of Heaven, a World Heritage site once used by emperors to pray for good harvests. As they pose for photos, someone calls out a question to Trump about whether he talked about Taiwan. The president does not respond.
12:45 p.m. The initial bilateral meeting has concluded after about two hours.
12:38 p.m. Chinese media report that several members of Trump's business delegation, including Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook and Nvidia's Jensen Huang, entered the meeting room.
12:20 p.m. Xi has warned Trump that handling the issue of Taiwan "poorly" risks a "clash" between the powers, according to Chinese state media. He also said that "Taiwan independence" and peace across the Taiwan Strait are incompatible.
It was not immediately clear what Trump said on the matter.
Ahead of the summit, observers were focused on whether Trump might shift the typical U.S. language on Taiwan, such as by saying that Washington "opposes" Taiwan independence rather than just "not supporting" it. Doing so, analysts said, would be seen as a win for Beijing.
From the U.S. perspective, "not supporting independence" refers to a move by Taipei to declare de jure independence as a Taiwanese republic and abolish the old constitutional order. Beijing, however, views anyone who opposes its claim to sovereignty over Taiwan, or even supports the status quo, as advocating "Taiwan independence."
The leaders are understood to have sidestepped the Taiwan question at their last meeting in South Korea in October.
11:45 a.m. With Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg traveling with Trump, a key focus will be whether China agrees to purchase the company's aircraft.
China is looking to buy as many as 600 jetliners, according to media reports. That is twice as many as the 300 planes that state-owned China Aviation Suppliers Holding Company (CAS) agreed to purchase during Trump's previous visit in 2017, which Boeing said were worth $37 billion based on catalog prices.
Boeing has been hit by U.S.-China trade tensions, opening an opportunity for French rival Airbus to gain ground in China. Over the past two months, state-owned China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines have announced deals to buy 238 Airbus planes worth a combined $37.2 billion at catalog prices.
Analysts will be watching out for the timing of the deliveries. China's travel industry is growing but airlines are facing mounting pressure from the country's expansive high-speed rail network , which generally offers lower ticket prices.
The Iran war is further casting a shadow on consumer demand. Starting Saturday fuel surcharges for domestic flight tickets are set to rise by up to 50 yuan ($7.40).
11:30 a.m. Here are a couple of clips posted by the White House social media team.
11:15 a.m. China's stock market is mixed as the summit gets underway. The benchmark CSI 300 Index, which tracks heavyweight stocks listed on mainland exchanges, is down about 1% in morning trading, erasing its gains on Wednesday. The U.S. benchmark S&P 500 rose 0.6% on Wednesday.
Even as Trump has pledged to ask Xi to "open up" the Chinese market for U.S. businesses, investor sentiment reflects the divergence between China's push for tech supremacy and weak domestic demand. Shares of Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the world's leading electric vehicle battery maker, have gained about 20% since the start of the year, while property developer Vanke is down around 15%.
10:50 a.m. As the meeting begins , Xi and Trump deliver opening remarks.
Xi asks whether the U.S. and China can establish a new paradigm of great power relations, address global issues and stabilize a rapidly changing world. "These are questions of history, questions of the world, and questions of the people," Xi says. "They are also the answers that you and I, as leaders of major powers, must jointly write for our times."
Warning that cooperation helps both countries while confrontation harms both, he says the U.S. and China "should be partners, not adversaries."
Trump thanks Xi for the elaborate welcome ceremony. "That was an honor like few I've ever seen before," he says. Referring to a group of kids who greeted him, he says, "I was particularly impressed by those children. They were happy, they were beautiful. Those children were amazing, and they represent so much."
Trump says he and Xi have a "fantastic relationship" and calls the Chinese president a "great leader."
"Sometimes people don't like me saying it, but I say it anyway, because it's true," Trump says.
"The relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before," he says.
10:18 a.m. After reviewing an honor guard, Trump and Xi head inside the Great Hall of the People to start their meeting. The delegation of Trump cabinet members and business executives follows behind them.
10:05 a.m. The two presidents shake hands on the red carpet and exchange a few words. Xi then walks over to greet members of Trump's delegation, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as the president's son, Eric Trump. The American national anthem is played.
10:02 a.m. President Xi has come out to welcome Trump's arriving motorcade.
9:50 a.m. The American flag is flying outside the Great Hall of the People, with Trump expected to arrive shortly. China is turning on the charm for the U.S. president, gathering children to greet him with flowers and flags.
9:30 a.m. Back in the U.S., a New York man was found guilty on Wednesday of acting as an unregistered agent for China, Reuters reports. Federal prosecutors said Lu Jianwang, 64, should have disclosed that he was working on behalf of China when he helped open a "secret police station" in 2022. China has called the case "fabricated."
8:00 a.m. We are a couple of hours away from the big moment. Trump is due to meet Xi at 10 a.m. at the Great Hall of the People. A short greeting ceremony is to be followed by a formal bilateral meeting.
7:00 a.m. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is in China with Trump, tells Fox News that the administration will be pushing Beijing to help on the Iran issue. "We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to walk away from what they're doing now and trying to do now in the Persian Gulf," he says.
Trump, when he departed on the trip, had downplayed the possibility of seeking Chinese assistance, saying he did not think the U.S. needed any help.
Rubio joined the China visit despite being sanctioned by Beijing when he was a senator in 2020, over his criticisms of alleged Chinese human rights abuses.
1:00 a.m. Trump is in Beijing now, but Japan's government had hoped he would stop in Tokyo first. That visit never materialized. Read more.
Wednesday, May 13
9:20 p.m. The White House account on X has posted a clip of Trump's red-carpet welcome.
8:20 p.m. Trump appears in the doorway to Air Force One, briefly gestures, and makes his way down the stairs. Dressed in a dark suit with a blue tie, he is greeted by officials and receives a bouquet of flowers, which is quickly handed off. Students put on a show of coordinated flag waving as the president heads for his limo.
8:00 p.m. Air Force One slowly taxis toward the waiting welcome party. A number of people disembark from the back of the blue and white jet. Meanwhile, attendants prepare a staircase and red carpet.
7:50 p.m. Trump's plane touches down at Beijing Capital International Airport as darkness falls, a little later than expected. A U.S. president is on Chinese soil for the first time since 2017.
7:10 p.m. Live footage from Beijing shows a crowd of young Chinese dressed in light blue and white, waving Chinese and American flags and ready to welcome Trump. Air Force One is expected to land in around 20 minutes.
5:50 p.m. Trump appears to have picked a new venue for his stay in Beijing. His motorcade was seen arriving at the Four Seasons Hotel, according to media reports, ahead of his touchdown in the city. The hotel is located northeast of the Great Hall of the People, the venue for the scheduled bilateral meeting with Xi on Thursday. When Nikkei Asia called the hotel, a staff member said it was fully booked but did not confirm his stay.
Enhanced security protocols surrounding the area could cause disruptions for city residents. A map app showed that a car ride between the hotel and Great Hall would take more than an hour, about double the time on normal days. The Four Seasons is also notably further away than the St. Regis, the hotel for Trump's previous visit in 2017, which sits west of the Great Hall.
4:45 p.m. Setting the stage for the summit, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held last-minute trade talks in South Korea with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang. China says they "conducted frank, in-depth, and constructive exchanges on resolving trade and economic issues of mutual concern and further expanding pragmatic cooperation."
4:30 p.m. Trump can expect a warm welcome, but the currency markets underscore the scope of China's ambitions to challenge U.S. hegemony. The Chinese yuan, or renminbi, was trading at around 6.79 per dollar on Wednesday, its highest level in more than three years.
"Most importantly, there is a tolerance from policymakers to allow the renminbi to gradually appreciate as a push for renminbi internationalization," said Rohit Arora, head of Asia FX and rates strategy at UBS.
Reducing dependency on the dollar, which dominates global trade including in oil, has long been a key goal for Chinese policymakers, as their economy relies heavily on exports for growth.
Arora said the dollar has been the sole safe haven currency during the Middle East crisis, but the yuan is serving as a "relative safe haven" among emerging market currencies. He expects that trend to continue, because policymakers have tightened management of the currency since 2023.
Chinese companies with large dollar holdings, like exporters, tend to "chase" the trends in foreign exchange movements when converting their dollars into yuan, Arora said. "If and when these Middle East tensions unwind and the dollar again declines further at that point, I would expect that conversion to accelerate."
4:00 p.m. The Temple of Heaven Park in Beijing is closed to the public on Wednesday and Thursday, according to a notice from its administrator, as authorities prepare for an anticipated tour by Trump. Located about 4 kilometers from Tiananmen Square, the historic site was used by emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties to offer sacrifices to heaven and pray for abundant harvests.
Built in 1420, the complex covers 2.73 million square meters and features 92 ancient buildings, gardens and pathways. It was inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage site in 1998. When Nikkei Asia visited in March, local visitors in traditional Chinese costumes were busy taking photos and videos in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the most iconic building.
Details of the expected tour by Trump and Xi are not clear, but images of the two leaders at the site would underscore the relationship's importance. "President Trump is, of course, a master of visual narrative," Susan Thornton, a senior fellow at Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center and a former diplomat, said at a forum in Beijing in March. "These kind of visits are really important symbolically."
3:40 p.m. China's foreign ministry spokesperson tells reporters that the country is ready to work with the U.S. on a basis of equality and respect to pursue mutual benefits, expand cooperation and manage differences.
3:25 p.m. Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office had some strong words earlier today, drawing lines before Trump and Xi discuss issue . "Our resolve to oppose Taiwan independence is as firm as a rock, and our capability to crush Taiwan independence is unbreakable," the office said, as quoted by Reuters.
The U.S. is Taiwan's most important security partner, even through they lack official diplomatic relations. Late last year, the Trump administration signed off on a roughly $11 billion arms package for Taipei.
Trump has said he will talk about additional planned sales with Xi. Experts have said this breaks from a decades-old assurance that Washington had not agreed to consult with China about such deals.
3:15 p.m. En route, Trump said that he will be asking Xi to "open up" China so that the American business leaders accompanying him "can work their magic, and help bring the People's Republic to an even higher level!" He referred to names including Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook, Boeing's Kelly Ortberg and several others.
3:00 p.m. Ahead of Trump's arrival, the Chinese Communist Party's mouthpiece newspaper, the People's Daily, said in a commentary on Wednesday that bilateral relations have become "more equal" after years of volatility. Beijing's willingness to "talk and dare to fight" in response to Washington's trade war has demonstrated its strength, the paper argued, opening the door to resolving differences through dialogue.
The commentary is one of several signals China's government and official media have been sending in the run-up to the visit.
The People's Daily described the summit as a chance to "recalibrate goals and ways of interacting." The paper emphasized China's economic scale and said that the two countries can achieve mutual gains by expanding the "pie" of cooperation.
The same commentary, however, warned that Taiwan remains the "most important and sensitive core issue" in U.S. ties. Beijing claims the island democracy for itself, and is expected to press Trump on American arms sales to Taipei.
The Taiwan question was also one of "four red lines" listed by the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. The others "that must not be challenged": democracy and human rights; paths and political systems; and China's development right.
A commentary published by state news agency Xinhua said: "China is willing to meet the U.S. halfway, but will absolutely not trade away its principles, and even less will it compromise in the slightest on major issues involving national sovereignty, security or development interests."
On Monday, when China formally announced the visit for the first time, its foreign ministry shared a video titled "Peaceful Coexistence."