President Trump participates in an arrival ceremony at Beijing Capital International Airport during his visit to the country, in Beijing, China, May 13, 2026. Evan Vucci / REUTERS

President Trump landed in Beijing on Wednesday evening local time to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a crucial moment in Mr. Trump's presidency amid the war with Iran and uncertainty about the economy.

"We're the two superpowers," Mr. Trump told reporters as he departed the White House on Tuesday. "We're the strongest nation on Earth in terms of military. China's considered second."

Mr. Trump was greeted by Chinese officials at the airport in Beijing for an arrival ceremony. The U.S. president and his entourage descended the steps of AIr Force One and were greeted by China's vice president Han Zheng, foreign affairs minister Ma Zhaoxu, and ambassadors from both countries.

As they walked the red carpet, 300 young Chinese men and women waved Chinese and American flags in unison.

"We have a lot of things to discuss," Mr. Trump said before he left. "I wouldn't say Iran is one of them, to be honest with you, because we have Iran very much under control."

Beijing and Washington are 12 hours apart.

Mr. Trump has made clear he intends to push Xi to open up China to more American business, and he is bringing a delegation of business leaders with him to China. Elon Musk was spotted aboard Air Force One, Nvidia's Jensen Huang (who boarded in Anchorage), as well as director Brett Ratner, who directed the "Melania" documentary. Apple's Tim Cook is also expected, as well as other CEOs.

Mr. Trump's son Eric, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, and his wife, Lara, were also on Air Force One, although a spokesperson for the Trump Organization said in a statement that Eric Trump would not be doing business on the trip.

Before he left, Mr. Trump spoke to New York City radio host Sid Rosenberg, touting the "good relationship" the U.S. has with China and saying there are "a lot of advantages to us getting along."

"If we didn't get along, you'd know about it, but a lot of advantages," Mr. Trump added.

He posted on social media ahead of the trip that he would give Xi a "big, fat hug" when they meet.

Mr. Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One that he didn't need China's help with the war or the economy — although China is the biggest buyer of Iran's oil and boatloads are trapped behind Iran's blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

When asked by a reporter how much Americans' finances are "motivating you to make a deal," Mr. Trump responded: "Not even a little bit."

"I don't think about Americans' financial situation," Mr. Trump said. "I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing: we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon."

Matt Pottinger, who served as deputy national adviser in the first Trump administration and who now runs the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told CBS News this meeting is "an attempt by both sides to sustain a detente."

"Detente does not mean a cooperative relationship, but it does mean a less confrontational relationship in the near term," Pottinger said.

Mr. Trump wants to prevent China from enforcing its leverage over rare earths, and Beijing is looking for some tariff relief, Pottinger said. But much of the meeting will focus on things that both sides don't see eye to eye on, such as Taiwan, artificial intelligence and Iran, he said. Beijing, Pottinger said, is trying to trick the U.S. into giving them equally advanced AI.

"For the most part the fact the meeting is happening is the main deliverable," Pottinger said.

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