Our office is close to the American embassy, and three doors down from where President Trump will be staying while he’s in Beijing, so the place is heaving with security.
We saw more than 100 police officers and security personnel lined up for a briefing on Tuesday afternoon, and now soldiers and police are stationed on every corner and crossing in the area. Security scanners have also been set up around the periphery of the compound containing Donald Trump’s hotel.
As his arrival nears, we’ve seen a build-up of guards along all of the roads the US president and his entourage are expected to travel. The ‘beast’, as the president’s car is called, has already been spotted in the Chinese capital.
I have never seen a security operation like this for the visit of a foreign state leader. But of course, Trump is no ordinary leader, and this is no ordinary summit.
President Trump and President Xi are the two most powerful men on the planet, and the US-China relationship has been described as the most consequential in the world.
Donald Trump was the last US president to visit China when he made the trip in 2017. Credit: AP
The stakes couldn’t be higher with trade, tech supremacy, nuclear power and the future of Taiwan all up for discussion.
It’s been almost nine years since a US president last visited China, which was Trump during his first term. Biden didn’t make it to Beijing, partly due to China’s extended Covid lockdown and diplomatic disagreements. Does anyone remember the weather balloon?
And up until it was confirmed by the Chinese Government on Monday, this visit had been shrouded in uncertainty, postponed from March due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Already, both sides appear to agree that a priority at this meeting is to extend the trade truce the two leaders agreed last October. That came after months of a spiralling tit-for-tat that saw more than 100% tariffs imposed by each side, and China threatening to cut off rare earth supplies.
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Travelling with Trump are some of America’s top CEO’s, including Tim Cook of Apple, Jensen Huang of the chip maker Nvidia and Elon Musk, who appears to be back in favour. Musk and the Tesla brand are popular in China, with a mega-factory in Shanghai.
By bringing a cadre of CEO’s with him, Trump is clearly hoping to do some deals. But for Beijing, it will also exemplify how US companies such as Apple and Tesla have enjoyed success in China, while restrictions remain on their Chinese counterparts, like Huawei and BYD, from entering the American market.
Taiwan, a red line issue for Beijing, will also be top of the agenda. Xi Jinping is not happy with the multimillion-dollar arms sales Trump approved for the island, despite that being a long-established arrangement under the US Taiwan Relations Act (1979).
The White House insists its position on Taiwan has not changed, but we are watching carefully to see whether Xi Jinping can exact any concessions. Namely, whether the Americans will agree to a change in wording from “not supporting” to “opposing” Taiwan independence.
A seemingly innocuous change that could have significant consequences. Not only would it breach the six assurances made by President Reagan in 1982 regarding US commitments to Taiwan, but it would also signal an alignment with China’s view that Taiwan is a breakaway province, a huge win for Xi that would weaken Taiwan’s position.
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The US-Iran war will also loom large over the summit. Trump is expected to reiterate his call for China to help get Tehran to do a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s foreign minister was in Beijing last week, presenting the Iranian side of the story.
Trump was hoping this visit would be on the back of a great victory in the Middle East.
Instead, he arrives with world economies reeling from the fallout of an unresolved conflict.
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