Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in high-stakes meeting in Beijing – live updates – BBC
Donald Trump Meets With Xi Jinping in China
BBC News
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President Xi Jinping calls for China and the US to be "partners not rivals" ahead of high-stakes talks with his US counterpart in Beijing
In response, President Trump describes Xi as a "great leader" and says the relationship between the superpowers will be "better than ever before"
However, thorny subjects are likely to be addressed during the talks, including tariffs, competition over tech, the Iran war and Taiwan
Before their meeting, Xi shook hands with Trump on the red carpet outside Beijing's Great Hall of the People – they were also greeted by cheering children and inspected troops
Trump is joined in Beijing by tech bosses, including Tesla's Elon Musk and Nvidia's Jensen Huang – before his arrival he said he would ask China to "open up" to US industry
Trump, who was the last US president to visit in 2017, returns to a stronger, more assertive China keen to portray itself as a stable global power, our China correspondent writes
The two leaders are then scheduled to attend a state banquet later this evening
Edited by Yvette Tan and Toby Mann, with Laura Bicker, Stephen McDonell and Tom Bateman in Beijing
Tessa Wong
Asia Digital Reporter
In his opening remarks to Trump earlier, Xi mentioned the Thucydides Trap – but what is it?
It's a political term popularised by American scholar Graham Allison that has been used to describe the US-China relationship.
Referencing the ancient Greek historian Thucydides, who wrote about the war between Athens and Sparta, the term describes a situation where an established country becomes anxious about the rise of a developing power, leading to rivalry and eventually conflict.
In recent years the Chinese government has latched onto this analogy, with Xi himself invoking it when urging for co-operation with the US.
So when Xi told Trump today to "overcome the Thucydides Trap", he was essentially appealing to the US leader not to fear China's rise but instead, as he said later, become "partners not rivals".
Trump's kind words to Xi sets up China as an equal to the US as the sides enter talks, said Kelly Grieco from the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center.
Trump will be keen to make agreements for China to buy American agriculture, aircraft and other goods "to be able to say he brought good deals home," Grieco told the BBC.
But the US' bargaining position has weakened because Trump's tariffs have not gone well against China in the past year. Beijing, in response, has also shown its own leverage in rare earths – metals crucial for the production of electronics and semiconductors.
Trump will also be keen to convince Beijing to put pressure on Iran to end the war.
Grieco said if it were to help, "China will definitely want something in exchange".
The two presidents have just finished delivering their opening remarks.
They're set to start bilateral talks behind closed doors, which are expected to last an hour, as media are ushered out of the room.
In his opening remarks, Trump says it is "an honour" to be meeting Xi today.
"We've gotten along, when there were difficulties we worked it out. I would call you and you would call me," Trump says. "People don't know, whenever we had a problem we worked it out very quickly."
"I say it to everybody, you're a great leader," Trump says.
The US president said he's brought the "best [business leaders] in the world" with him on this trip. "Only the top people here today to pay respects to you," he says.
Trump adds that some people have called this "the biggest summit ever", and that he looks forward "very much" to their discussions.
"It's an honour to be with you, it's an honour to be your friend," he says, adding that US-China relations are going to be "better than ever before".
In his opening remarks, Xi noted that "the whole world is watching our meeting. Currently transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe and the international situation is fluid and turbulent".
"The world has come to a new crossroads. Can China and the US overcome the Thucydides trap and create a new paradigm of relations? Can we meet global challenges together and provide more stability for the world? Can we, in the interest of our world, of our two peoples, and the future of humanity, build a brighter future for our bilateral relations?"
"These are the questions vital to history, to the world, and to the people. They are the questions of our times that you and I need to answer as leaders of major countries."
Xi also congratulated Trump and the US on their 250th anniversary of independence.
"I always believe that our two countries have more common interests than differences. Success in one is an opportunity for another, and a stable bilateral relationship is good for the world," he continued. "China and the US both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontations."
"We should be partners not rivals, we should help each other succeed and prosper and find the right way for major countries to get along with each other in the new era."
Xi said he looked forward to having discussions with Trump and "working together with you to set the course for and steer the giant ship of China-US relations, so as to make 2026 a historic landmark year that opens up a new chapter".
In his opening remarks to Trump and his delegation, Xi has called for the two countries to be partners, not rivals.
We'll bring you more comments shortly.
Stephen McDonell
China correspondent
Beijing has turned on a spectacular welcome for a country that it considers a key global rival – or perhaps it's done so, precisely because the US is China's key global rival.
The two leaders inspected the honour guard, and Donald Trump seemed to like the assembled children jumping and cheering in front of him as he gave one his fist pumps and clapped.
With the military band playing the rousing march in the background, which normally welcomes senior Communist Party figures to the stage, the two entered the Great Hall of the People for the serious business at hand.
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Cheering children jump for Trump and Xi
The highly anticipated bilateral talks are set to begin shortly in the Great Hall of the People. Media personnel are setting up, and Trump is being seated in the large conference room.
We'll bring you the latest updates when they happen.
Apart from Trump, here are the other US officials who'll be attending the bilateral talks this morning, as reported by China's CCTV:
The broadcaster has not disclosed a similar list for the Chinese side.
The two leaders are now walking up a long flight of steps towards the East Gate of the Great Hall of the People, where they will hold their talks today.
Dozens of children have also lined up along the red carpet and could be seen jumping up and down, waving their mini flags and bouquets as the two leaders walk around the square.
Here's a video of perhaps the most important photo opportunity of this morning – a long-awaited handshake between the leaders of the world's two largest economies.
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Moment Trump and Xi shake hands
As the band plays on, Trump and Xi walk the red carpet inspecting Chinese troops who have lined up in impeccably neat rows.
Now we see both leaders standing at attention in the centre of the square as a military band plays The Star-Spangled Banner, the US national anthem, followed by the Chinese anthem March of the Volunteers.
Trump and Xi are seen shaking hands on the red carpet. Trump then makes his way down the carpet greeting Chinese officials.
Trump's motorcade has arrived at the Great Hall of the People. The two leaders will meet imminently.
More updates coming shortly – stick with us.
We now also see Chinese leader Xi Jinping walking down the stairs from the Great Hall of the People. He is getting ready to meet Donald Trump on the red carpet, with China's military entourage also in position.
Trump's motorcade has left the hotel where he spent the night and is on its way to the Great Hall of the People, where he is expected to be welcomed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The two leaders, accompanied by their entourages, will then hold talks.
We'll bring you more as the morning unfolds. Stay with us.
Tom Bateman
in Beijing
The pool – the group of travelling media covering the visit – is now outside the Great Hall of the People, looking out onto Tiananmen Square.
It’s a hazy, warm morning and the low-sitting sun lights up a mixed line of US and Chinese flags being held by soldiers who are separating the area we are in from the rest of the square.
A group of children in brightly coloured clothes are lined up in front of me holding flowers and small American and Chinese flags.
They’ve just been jumping up and down, waving the flags and practising a loud chant of "welcome, welcome"in Mandarin.
In the centre of the area is a small covered stage, ready to host the dignitaries as we await the arrival of Trump and Xi.
The flags are raised, children are lined up with bouquets in hand, and the soldiers are marching into position – here's what we're seeing outside the Great Hall of the People this morning as Beijing gets ready to roll out the red carpet for Donald Trump.
Chinese president Xi Jinping will be part of the welcome ceremony held at the hall's East Gate, state broadcaster CCTV said in a short report accompanied by a clip of the preparations.
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