&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Donald Trump's China visit: The president got a greeter upgrade in Beijing. Here is what an expert says it means")
Chinese President Xi Jinping was not at the airport to greet Donald Trump when he arrived in Beijing for the three-day meeting. However, the welcome accorded to the American president was bigger than what he was given in 2017. Vice President Han Zheng, along with both ambassadors and senior foreign affairs officials, was present. Isabelle Vladoiu, founder of the US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights, told New York Post, "Xi Jinping did not personally greet Trump at the airport in 2017 either, but this time Beijing noticeably upgraded the reception by sending Vice President Han Zheng along with both ambassadors and senior foreign affairs officials." Isabelle claims this departure matters immensely since "in Chinese diplomatic protocol, rank is never accidental."
Nine years ago, a lower-level official welcomed him, while Beijing upgraded it this time. According to Isabelle, this signals a major shift in the way China is perceiving Trump's latest visit. “In 2017, Trump was greeted by Yang Jiechi, who was a senior official and state councillor, but not as high rank than the vice president. China is signalling, therefore, that this visit carries greater strategic and geopolitical weight than before.” The American president was accorded a grand welcome with the red carpet laid out. A military band played as 300 youths sang a welcome song, waving American and Chinese flags. Body language expert Dr Lillian Glass says Trump appeared “emotional and visibly moved” by the spectacle.
Donald Trump in China
He was accompanied by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Trump and Xi are expected to talk on a range of topics. On Thursday (May 14), the two leaders touched upon the topic of Taiwan, with the Chinese premier warning that US interference and mishandling of the matter would lead to a conflict. “If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation,” according to state broadcaster CCTV. “Taiwan independence and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water," he added.
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Before this, Xi hailed a new era of US-China relations, with stable ties and managed competition. The US-Israeli war with Iran is also expected to come up as Trump could urge Xi to push Tehran to agree to a peace deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
