Donald Trump arrived in Beijing with a call for Chinese President Xi Jinping to “open up China” to American business. The U.S. president hopes to make economic cooperation the central focus of his two-day visit.
Talks between Trump and Xi are scheduled for Thursday and Friday against the backdrop of continuing tensions surrounding Iran and Taiwan, as well as ongoing disputes between Washington and Beijing over trade and technology.
Ahead of the meeting, Trump said his “very first request” to the Chinese leader would be the creation of more favorable conditions for American companies, which have long complained about regulatory restrictions and difficulties operating in China.
Trump is accompanied on the trip by executives from some of the largest American corporations and investment firms. In a post on Truth Social, the president listed members of the delegation, including Blackstone chief executive Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, and Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Trump also said Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang had joined the delegation, despite earlier expectations that he would not participate in the visit.
“I will ask President Xi, a leader of exceptional stature, to ‘open’ China so these brilliant people can apply their talents and help take the People’s Republic of China to an even higher level,” Trump wrote.
He added that he intends to raise the issue within the first hours of his talks with the Chinese leader.