President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping began their summit on Thursday, with delegations from each country meeting in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. The meeting commenced after Xi greeted Trump and the U.S. delegation with a festive welcome ceremony outside the building earlier in the day. After both exchanged platitudes in the high-stakes meeting, Xi warned that the world was at a delicate inflection point as it carefully observed the summit between the two powers.
The two leaders sat at an open rectangular table, with a simulated lawn containing flowery bushes in the middle. Trump and Xi faced each other, seated at the center of their respective tables and their delegations. The meeting lasted for approximately two hours, according to reports. Trump was positive and optimistic, expressing gratitude for the welcoming reception, was complimentary of Xi and China, and touted knowing each other “a long time.”
.@POTUS begins a meeting with President Xi at the Great Hall of the People: “You and I have known each other now for a long time—in fact, the longest relationship of our two countries that any president and president has had—and that’s, to me, an honor.”🎥: @MargoMartin47 pic.twitter.com/HBNnrVY0Fr— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2026
