President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday morning, receiving a red carpet welcome as he departed Air Force One in the company of top administration officials and American business executives.
Trump was greeted by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and the Chinese ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng. Before becoming vice president in 2023, Han was a member of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee. He attended President Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, becoming the most senior Chinese official to attend an American presidential inauguration.
Trump’s visit to Beijing is the first by an American president in nine years. The previous presidential visitor was also Trump, during his first term in 2017.
In addition to a full military honor guard and band, the reception ceremony featured about three hundred Chinese students waving Chinese Communist and American flags while chanting “Welcome!” in Mandarin. Trump responded with his characteristic fist pump gesture:
President Trump’s route from the airport to his hotel was lined with American and Chinese Communist flags, while tall buildings along the route were illuminated with the Chinese characters for “Beijing Welcome.”
Throngs of Beijing residents gathered along the roadside to record Trump’s passage with their smartphones. The mood among the Chinese public seemed optimistic, with comments like “China and the U.S. join hands to advance together and create a bright future!” posted to state media videos of Trump’s arrival in Beijing.
Security in Beijing was tightened considerably for Trump’s arrival. There has been no official announcement of where the visiting U.S. president and his entourage will be staying, but reporters deduced Trump would use the Four Seasons Hotel in northeastern Beijing, while others would stay at the Kempinski Hotel Beijing Yansha Center, based on both hotels refusing to accept reservations from Tuesday to Thursday.
Two U.S. officials told the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Wednesday that Trump would indeed stay at the Four Seasons, which is less than half a mile from the U.S. embassy in Beijing.
The Temple of Heaven, a 15th-century religious complex that has become a major tourist attraction and UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been closed to visitors ahead of President Trump’s planned visit in the company of Chinese dictator Xi Jinping on Thursday.