SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
President Trump has arrived in Beijing, China, for a state visit today, but it isn't just ceremony. The trade relationship between the U.S. and China has been strained since Trump launched a trade war last year and China retaliated. The war with Iran is complicating that even more. NPR senior political correspondent Tamara Keith was part of the press corps traveling with Trump on Air Force One, and she joins us now. Hi, Tam.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Hi.
PFEIFFER: I understand it was evening when you arrived. What was the reception for Trump like?
KEITH: Well, there was a red carpet rolled up to Air Force One, and a military band started playing as Trump appeared at the top of the stairs. Trump was greeted by the vice president of China and 300 Chinese teens in matching outfits, who waved small Chinese and U.S. flags in sync, while chanting a welcome to Trump.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Chanting in non-English language).
KEITH: They didn't just match each other. They matched the iconic Air Force One paint job. A much larger ceremony is planned for when Chinese president Xi Jinping welcomes Trump at the Great Hall of the People. Over the next 36 hours, there will be bilateral meetings, a tea, a grand banquet. Earlier this year, Trump said he told Xi he wants the biggest display in the history of China. Melanie Hart is a senior director of the Global China Hub at the Atlantic Council, and she gave a preview of what she's expecting of the visit.
MELANIE HART: The U.S. wants big purchase announcements, more access to China's rare earths, progress on fentanyl and made-for-TV diplomatic spectacle. China's going to deliver on the spectacle. China can do spectacle better than anybody. They will also deliver on the purchases.
PFEIFFER: Tam, what more do we know about the substance of what's planned?
KEITH: Yeah. So trade is on the agenda for this visit, and to drive that home, more than a dozen big-name corporate executives are part of the U.S. delegation. When we were stopped for refueling in Alaska, I spotted Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on the tarmac. He hadn't originally been on the list of CEOs going on the trip, but the White House says he was able to adjust his schedule to make it and joined for the second half of the Air Force One flight. Nvidia's chip technology is a big part of the AI boom, and the U.S. has barred Nvidia from selling its best chips to China.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk was also on the plane. And during the flight, Trump posted on Truth Social about all the CEOs, quote, "I will be asking President Xi - a leader of extraordinary distinction - to open up China so that these brilliant people can work their magic and help bring the People's Republic to an even higher level."
PFEIFFER: And, of course, while all of this is happening, tensions are still high in Iran. How will that war factor into this quick trip?
KEITH: China and Iran are close allies and trading partners, and the U.S. has just spent weeks bombing Iran and is now blockading all ships connected to the country. Meanwhile, there are questions about whether China has assisted Iran. Trump has mostly downplayed those concerns. As he was leaving Washington, Trump insisted he didn't need anything from China when it comes to Iran. Though, that may just be posturing because Trump had previously taken to social media to ask China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
PFEIFFER: That's NPR's Tamara Keith in China. Tamara, thank you.
KEITH: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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