Trump Lands in Beijing: First US President in a Decade, Taiwan in the Balance

China's capital rolled out the red carpet for Donald Trump on May 13. Air Force One touched down at Beijing Capital International Airport shortly before 8 pm, with Vice-President Han Zheng, a military honor guard and hundreds of flag-waving children on the tarmac. It is the first state visit by a US president in nine years.

The headline event begins Thursday morning at the Great Hall of the People. The 36-hour program also includes a state banquet, a visit to the Temple of Heaven and tea inside the Zhongnanhai compound. Trump leaves on Friday after a working lunch with Xi.

The CEO plane

The business delegation includes Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook and Boeing's Kelly Ortberg. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was a last-minute addition to Air Force One, which pushed AI and semiconductors onto the agenda. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are also on the trip. Senator Steve Daines summed up the expected deliverables as 'Boeing, beef, and beans.'

Iran, the unwelcome guest at the table

Trump wants Beijing's help winding down the Iran war. China is the biggest buyer of Iranian oil and one of the few governments with real sway in Tehran. But Iran is Beijing's most important Middle East partner and a useful counterweight to the US, and Washington's focus on the Gulf has pulled US military assets out of the Indo-Pacific. Analysts expect Xi to nudge Iran toward talks at most, not cut off economic support. Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told reporters Beijing opposes 'illicit unilateral sanctions.'

Taiwan on the table

Trump confirmed he will discuss US arms sales to Taiwan with Xi and has so far held back a roughly $14 billion weapons package for the island. A bipartisan group of senators urged him in a letter to notify Congress that the sales have been approved. Hours before the summit, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on China's 'unprecedented nuclear expansion,' with chairman Roger Wicker pointing to hundreds of new missile silos and expanded submarine forces.

Sources: The Straits Times, CNBC, CNN, SCMP