U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday alongside a high-profile delegation that included Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia chief Jensen Huang, as he prepared to urge Chinese President Xi Jinping to expand access for American businesses during a closely watched summit.

Trump is hoping to secure economic gains during the first visit by a U.S. president to China in nearly a decade, while also attempting to preserve a fragile trade truce at a time when his approval ratings have come under pressure from the ongoing Iran conflict.

Lavish Beijing Welcome For Trump

Chinese officials greeted Trump with an elaborate state welcome as Air Force One landed in Beijing during the final hours of twilight on Wednesday.

The arrival ceremony featured senior Chinese dignitaries, a carefully choreographed military honour guard and dozens of Chinese students waving American and Chinese flags.

As students chanted “welcome, welcome, warm welcome” in Mandarin, Trump paused midway along the red carpet, smiled broadly and punched the air before departing in his limousine.

The summit marks Trump’s first visit to China since 2017 and comes amid heightened tensions over trade, technology, Taiwan and the Iran war.

CEOs Join Push For Business Access

The business delegation travelling with Trump is made up largely of executives from companies seeking regulatory approvals or improved market access in China.

Among them is Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, whose company has struggled to secure permission to sell its advanced H200 artificial intelligence chips in the Chinese market.

According to a source familiar with the matter, Trump personally asked Huang at the last minute to join the trip. Huang was later spotted boarding Air Force One during a refuelling stop in Alaska on the way to Beijing.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he would ask Xi to “open up” China to American companies.

“I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic,” Trump wrote, referring to the executives accompanying him.

“I will make that my very first request,” he added.

Beijing Signals Willingness To Cooperate

Responding to Trump’s remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing was prepared to expand cooperation with Washington.

“China stands ready to expand cooperation, manage differences and inject more stability and certainty into the turbulent world,” Guo said.

Ahead of Trump’s arrival, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent concluded three hours of preparatory talks with Chinese officials in South Korea.

China’s state-run Xinhua news agency described the discussions as “candid, in-depth and constructive”, though officials provided few details about the negotiations.

Trade, Iran And Taiwan On Agenda

Trump’s two-day visit will include a grand reception at the Great Hall of the People, a tour of Beijing’s historic Temple of Heaven and a formal state banquet hosted by Xi.

While trade is expected to dominate the summit, the talks are also set to cover several sensitive geopolitical issues, including Iran, Taiwan and U.S.-China strategic rivalry.

Trump is expected to encourage Beijing to use its influence with Tehran to help bring an end to the conflict involving Iran, although he recently said he did not believe he would necessarily require China’s assistance.

Taiwan is also expected to remain a major point of friction during the discussions.

China reiterated on Wednesday its opposition to American arms sales to Taiwan, while uncertainty remains over whether Trump will approve a proposed $14-billion weapons package for the island.

Although Washington does not maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, U.S. law requires it to provide Taipei with the means to defend itself.

China, meanwhile, continues to claim the democratically governed island as part of its territory.

(with inputs from Reuters)