Xi-Trump summit begins with military pageantry and personal touches in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump began their highly anticipated summit on Thursday morning with an elaborate welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The display included a full military procession, a 21-gun salute, and both national anthems performed by a Chinese military band. Dozens of schoolchildren were on hand to cheer and wave as the two leaders walked past, a gesture that visibly pleased Trump. In his opening remarks, Trump singled out the children, calling them 'amazing' and noting they 'represent so much' to Xi and China.

The pageantry was widely interpreted as a deliberate signal from Beijing that it values warmer relations with Washington, even as the two sides grapple with underlying tensions often characterized as the 'Thucydides Trap' — the historical tendency for conflict when a rising power challenges an established one. The closed-door talks, which followed the welcome ceremony, involve both delegations meeting separately. The summit's outcome could shape trade, technology, and security dynamics for the remainder of Trump's term.