Trump reaches Beijing before important summit with Xi

President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday evening local time to begin a two-day summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the first such meeting in nearly nine years.

The President was welcomed at the airport by China’s Vice President Han Zheng, a military band and hundreds of youth waving flags.

Trump is scheduled to meet Xi for an arrival ceremony at 10 a.m. local time on Thursday, followed by meetings and events throughout the day.

The high-stakes summit is expected to cover a number of contentious topics, including trade, technology, export controls, Taiwan and the Iran war, which are likely to feature prominently in the talks.

Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and Chinese Vice Prime Minister He Lifeng held an hour-long preparatory meeting in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday that focused on economic and trade issues. Beijing later described it as “clear, thorough and constructive”.

However, hopes for concrete results from the summit are low, as structural competition and mistrust between the two superpowers runs deep.

Trump is also accompanied by a delegation of high-profile business leaders, including tech billionaires Elon Musk and Jensen Huang.

Trump and Xi will hold bilateral tea and lunch on Friday before the US leader returns to Washington.

Take a look at some of the pictures below.