On May 14, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump (Republican) is greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. Trump’s visit will focus on trade, regional security and strengthening bilateral ties between the world’s two largest economies.
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BEIJING – U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday morning and is expected to hold a high-stakes summit that will cover trade, tariffs, Taiwan, Iran and more until Friday.
In his opening remarks, President Trump told Mr. Xi that relations between the two countries would be “better than ever,” according to official broadcast footage. Trump also visited China in 2017 during his first term, and the two leaders said they have known each other personally longer than any other U.S. or Chinese president.
Speaking before President Trump, Xi noted the global attention on the meeting and said the big question for both countries is whether they can avoid the “Thucydides Trap,” according to an official English translation of Xi’s Chinese remarks broadcast by CCTV.
Thucydides’ Trap refers to how tensions between rising powers and dominant powers have historically often led to war. Graham Allison, the Harvard professor who popularized the concept, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” that he expects the trade cease-fire agreed to by President Trump and President Xi when they met in South Korea last fall to become a formal agreement.
Xi also said that Taiwan was the most important issue for U.S.-China relations, and that if not handled well, it would push the two countries into a “dangerous” place, according to state media. The Chinese government considers Taiwan, a democratically autonomous island, part of its territory. The island’s ruling party rejects that claim.
In addition to raising the rhetorical question of whether the United States and China can avoid the Thucydides Trap, Xi asked whether the two countries can jointly confront great challenges for global stability and strive for a “brighter future” for humanity. According to official CCTV broadcast of his opening remarks.
Thursday morning’s meeting was just the beginning of a jam-packed schedule. President Trump is scheduled to visit the historic Temple of Heaven in the afternoon and attend a state dinner in the evening. The two leaders are scheduled to hold multiple rounds of talks until noon on Friday.
This will be the first visit to China by a sitting US president in about 10 years. Much has changed since then, including escalating trade tensions and US restrictions on Chinese technology.
“China is going into this meeting much more confident than it was in 2017, when it feared even a small increase in U.S. tariffs,” said Scott Kennedy, senior adviser and director of China Business and Economic Affairs at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Mr. Xi was able to push back and neutralize many of President Trump’s actions last year.”
China became the first major economy to retaliate against President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs in April 2025.
“While expectations are low and no major deals are likely to occur, the welcome ceremony and opening remarks at the opening ceremony highlight just how important this relationship truly is to the world,” Kennedy said. “That is why everyone is paying close attention and waiting to see what will be discussed and decided on trade and security issues.”
President Xi is expected to reward President Trump’s visit to the United States, and the two leaders may meet at the end of the year to coincide with APEC and G20 events being held in China and the United States.
Earlier on Thursday, President Xi descended the steps of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to shake hands with President Trump, according to official broadcast footage. The US president first shook hands with Chinese officials, followed by President Xi greeting the US delegation.
According to the video, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi and Economic Planning Agency head Zheng Shanjie were among the Chinese delegates.
The U.S. delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other business executives, including: teslaMr. Elon Musk, applewith Tim Cook NvidiaMr. Jensen Huang. Images of the first meeting between Mr. Xi and Mr. Trump show that U.S. Army Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chinese Army Secretary Dong Jun were also present.
