US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a high-profile visit to China, where he was greeted by Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng rather than President Xi Jinping. Despite some online speculation about the absence of Xi at the airport, diplomatic experts said the reception represented a higher-level welcome than the one Trump received during his previous visit to China in 2017.
"It's actually quite revealing from a protocol perspective," Isabelle Vladoiu, founder of the US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights, toldThe New York Post."Xi Jinping did not personally greet Trump at the airport in 2017 either, but this time Beijing noticeably upgraded the reception by sending Vice President Han Zheng along with both ambassadors and senior foreign affairs officials."
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Trump was welcomed on a red carpet by Han, one of China's most senior leaders, in a ceremony featuring a military band, honour guard and hundreds of young people waving American and Chinese flags. Witnesses said the crowd chanted "welcome welcome, a warm welcome" as the president acknowledged them with his trademark fist pumps.
The honor guards at the arrival ceremony of President Donald Trump.
"In Chinese diplomatic protocol, rank is never accidental," Vladoiu said. "In 2017, Trump was greeted by Yang Jiechi who was a senior official and state councilor but not as high rank as the vice president. China is signaling therefore that this visit carries greater strategic and geopolitical weight than before."
The US president was accompanied by his son Eric Trump and a slew of US tech industry titans, including Tesla's Elon Musk and Nvidia's Jensen Huang among them. Other CEOs expected to be travelling with Trump include Tim Cook of Apple, Larry Fink of BlackRock, and Kelly Ortberg of Boeing.
Ahead of landing, Trump wrote on social media: "I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to 'open up' China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People's Republic to an even higher level."
Trade between the two countries has declined in recent years amid an escalating tariff war and other restrictions. Last year, bilateral trade totalled $414.7bn (£307.3bn), a sharp decline from the $690.4bn (£511.6bn) recorded in 2022.
Body language expert Dr Lillian Glass said Trump appeared "emotional and visibly moved" during the ceremony. Before departing Washington, Trump said trade would be a central focus of talks with Xi. Other expected issues include fentanyl exports to the United States and the conflict involving Iran, although the president later suggested the war would not be a major topic of discussion.
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