BEIJING — President Trump kicked off his bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping Thursday morning by praising the grand welcome ceremony that featured a sea of cheering schoolchildren.
“I was particularly impressed by those children,” Trump said of the school kids jumping up and down in excitement at his arrival at the massive Great Hall of the People overlooking Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
As the two world leaders traversed the red carpet, rows of children cheerfully waved US and Chinese flags while some held vibrant bouquets of flowers.
“I was particularly impressed by those children,” Trump said of the school children jumping up and down in excitement at his arrival at the massive Great Hall of the People overlooking Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. AFP via Getty ImagesBoth Trump and Xi appeared visibly amused by the lavish reception, frequently stopping to smile and wave at the excited students, seen jumping up and down.
The presidents shared a warm handshake with Xi, who also shook hands with the US delegation, including White House aides Stephen Miller and the president’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump.
Trump and Xi then moved to a raised red-and-gold dais as the Chinese military band played the US National Anthem with cannons firing during the performance.
The Chinese national anthem was played after the American one.
At the dais, Trump and Xi participated in a troop review – inspecting an honor guard of several lines of Chinese troops in various ceremonial uniforms holding bayoneted rifles.
The New York Post front cover for May 14, 2026.
A boy holds American and Chinese flags head of Trump’s arrival. REUTERSThe two leaders officially kicked off their historic summit around 10:30 p.m. ET, marking the seventh in-person meeting since their first in 2017.
Trump and Xi are expected to lead bilateral talks between the two delegations inside the Great Hall for roughly two hours.
The meeting comes as the two global superpowers have sought to iron out tensions in recent years.
