BEIJING—President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping reunited on Thursday morning in Beijing, kicking off a summit centered on improving their economic relationship, as the war in Iran and U.S. commitment to Taiwan loom.
Speaking inside the Great Hall of the People, both leaders projected optimism for two days of talks. Xi said he hoped both countries could be “partners, not rivals.” Trump responded by calling the meeting “the biggest summit ever,” promising the U.S.-China relationship would be “better than ever before.”
Their remarks followed a red-carpet arrival ceremony featuring a military honor guard and flag-waving schoolchildren. Tiananmen Square was cleared out before the president’s armored car pulled up, with senior U.S. officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent awaiting the president on the steps of the hall.
A smiling Xi walked out by himself to greet Trump with a handshake, not the “big, fat hug” Trump earlier said he was expecting. Xi and Trump then acknowledged the line of officials before standing together under a red-and-yellow canopy for renditions of both countries’ national anthems and a short ceremonial procession by the Chinese military.
Later Thursday, Trump will attend a state dinner with dignitaries and business leaders. That will set the stage for a more personal tea ceremony and working lunch Friday before Trump returns to Washington.
Trump and Xi have different goals for the summit. Xi aims to resolve trade disputes with the U.S. while weakening Washington’s commitment to Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island China hopes to bring under Beijing’s control. Trump wants Xi’s help in brokering an end to the war in Iran and he hopes to announce a slew of economic deals.
Trump is joined in China by an entourage of chief executives, including X’s Elon Musk, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Apple’s Tim Cook. Trump wrote in a Wednesday Truth Social post that “my very first request” of Xi would be “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!”
The message harked back to the old U.S. policy of further entwining the American and Chinese economies, breaking with an approach pioneered during the first Trump administration to untangle business ties, largely for national-security reasons.
There is heightened security throughout the main areas of heat-soaked Beijing, indicating plans for tight control of the capital’s streets during the visit. Authorities cleared a path so Trump’s motorcade could swiftly make its way into the city from Beijing Capital International Airport after his Wednesday night arrival.
The White House on Sunday acknowledged Trump’s visit would be heavier on symbolism and lighter on policy outcomes, though both countries expect to announce agreements on Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural and aerospace products. Analysts say they expect few breakthroughs in the trade relationship, unsettled last year by U.S. tariffs on China and Beijing’s retaliatory restrictions on rare-earth exports.
Trump and Xi hope a trade truce announced after a meeting in South Korea late last year can be extended in Beijing. But efforts at camaraderie could be derailed by discussions on the war in Iran and how Trump speaks about Taiwan.
Trump will ask Xi to pressure Iran, which provided China with 12% of its oil supply in 2025, into reopening the Strait of Hormuz and making the nuclear concessions the U.S. demands, namely vowing to end its enrichment of uranium and dismantling its decadeslong nuclear work.
China would also like the war to end for its energy needs, but its influence on Iran is limited, analysts say, so any offer of support by Xi might not ultimately meet Trump’s expectations.
In an interview published Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said China needed to take an “active role” in ending the Iran conflict.
“Economies are melting down because of this crisis in the strait,” he told Fox News’s Sean Hannity aboard Air Force One. “They’re going to be buying less Chinese product and the Chinese exports are going to drop precipitously.”
Meanwhile, Xi is expected to push Trump to change how the U.S. speaks about Taiwan. The current U.S. line on the issue is that Washington “does not support” the island’s independence.
Xi would prefer the U.S. say it “opposes” that outcome, a rhetorical shift that wouldn’t officially change American policy toward Taiwan, but would offer less ambiguity about Washington’s stance.
Write to Alexander Ward at alex.ward@wsj.com and Annie Linskey at annie.linskey@wsj.com