BEIJING – US President Donald Trump met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday morning, kicking off a very important summit that begins on Friday.
The relationship between the two countries will be “better than ever,” Trump told Xi in his opening remarks, according to an official photo released. Trump, who also visited China in 2017 during his first term, said the two leaders have known each other longer than any other US or Chinese president.
Speaking shortly before Trump, Xi noted the global focus on the meeting, and said the biggest question for the two countries is whether they can avoid the “Thucydides Trap,” according to the official English version of his remarks broadcast by Chinese CCTV.
I The Thucydides Trap refers to how historical tensions between rising and dominant powers have often resulted in war. Graham Allison, a Harvard professor who developed the concept, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” that he expects the trade deal Trump and Xi reached at their meeting in South Korea last fall to become a formal agreement.
“The big word is going to be stability,” Allison said Thursday.
The two presidents concluded their first meeting an hour later, including a reception, and will hold more talks until midnight on Friday.
Trump is expected to visit the Temple of Heaven, a landmark, in the afternoon, and attend a state banquet in the evening.
Iran, Taiwan and artificial intelligence are among the topics the two sides are expected to discuss, over tariffs and the exotic world.
“China enters this meeting more confident than in 2017, when it was afraid of even a small increase in US tariffs. Last year, Xi was able to reverse and reduce many of Trump’s actions,” said Scott Kennedy, senior adviser and chairman of the trustee in Business and Economics of China at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
China became the first major economy to retaliate against Trump’s “Independence Day” bill in April 2025.
“Although expectations are low and no major gains are likely, the welcome ceremony and the opening remarks at the opening session highlight how important this partnership is to the world,” Kennedy said. “That’s why everyone is watching and waiting to find out what they’re talking about and decide on trade and security issues.”
Xi is expected to reciprocate Trump’s trip by visiting the US The two leaders may meet again on the sidelines of APEC and G20 events in China and the US later this year.
Earlier on Thursday, Xi walked down the steps of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to shake Trump’s hand, according to an official photo released. The American president first shook hands with Chinese officials, and then Xi greeted the American delegation.
China’s top official, Wang Yi and Zheng Shanjie, head of the economic planning agency, were among the Chinese representatives, pictured.
The US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and business executives such as Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang.
Footage of the first Xi-Trump meeting also showed US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun were also present.
