US President Donald Trump landed in Beijing on Wednesday for a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping aimed at easing deep tensions between the rival superpowers.
Giving a fist pump, Trump descended the steps of Air Force One after touching down at Beijing Capital International Airport, kicking off the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade.
Right behind him were Tesla boss Elon Musk and Nvidia chief Jensen Huang - potent symbols of the business deals that Trump hopes to sign between the world's biggest economies.
Trump was greeted with a bunch of flowers and then walked along the red carpet, which was lined with 300 Chinese youth in white uniforms chanting "welcome" and waving small Chinese and US flags in unison.
While en route to Beijing, Trump said on social media he would "be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to 'open up' China so that these brilliant people can work their magic".
Nvidia's Huang was a surprise late addition to the trip, joining the plane at a stopover in Alaska. China is currently banned under US national security rules from buying the cutting-edge AI chips that the company produces.
But Iran and trade loom over the highly anticipated meeting, which Trump had already delayed from March because of the war the United States and Israel started in the Middle East.
Earlier, Trump has said he does not expect to need China's help to end the war in Iran and ease Tehran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, in remarks made before he arrived in Beijing on Wednesday.
The war is expected to feature in talks between Trump and Xi over the next two days, but Trump downplayed Beijing's potential role in ending the conflict, which has choked off traffic through a key waterway that typically carries about one-fifth of the world's oil supply.
"I don't think we need any help with Iran. We'll win it one way or the other, peacefully or otherwise," he told reporters in Washington before departing for China.
WORKING LUNCH
Trump and Xi will hold talks at 10:00 am (0200 GMT) on Thursday in Beijing's opulent Great Hall of the People.
The US president will also visit the historic Temple of Heaven, a world heritage site where China's emperors once prayed for good harvest.
The leaders will then enjoy a state banquet in the evening.
On Friday, they are set to have tea and a working lunch before Trump heads home. - Agencies
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