GoKawiilBEIJING, CHINA - MAY 14: U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on May 14, 2026 in Beijing, China. Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images
As the leaders of the world's two most powerful economies rekindled personal ties in Beijing on Thursday and Friday, with a cavalcade of American business leaders accompanying U.S. President Donald Trump, the Chinese capital turned into something of a spectacle. The visit — the first by a sitting U.S. president to China in nearly a decade — was full of friendly overtures, closely orchestrated pageantry, business dealmaking, and headline-grabbing sideshows that captivated audiences on both sides of the Pacific. Beijing deployed its diplomatic arsenal to the full. It laid on brass bands and flower-waving schoolchildren at the airport, a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People, a private tour of the Temple of Heaven, and a closing garden stroll at Zhongnanhai - the walled compound where China's top leaders have worked and lived since 1949 - during which Chinese President Xi Jinping offered Trump rose seeds as a parting gift. "There were unusually long handshakes, back-patting, smiling, and synchronized walking during public appearances," said Lyle Morris, senior fellow for foreign policy and national security at the Asia Society Policy Institute. "The interaction was warmer and more relaxed than some previous Trump-Xi encounters," Morris said. Crowds gathered along streets near the Four Seasons hotel and the Great Hall for a glimpse of Trump's motorcade. "It was quite a spectacle," said Alicia Liao, a university student in Beijing. "We had an exam the next day, but almost everyone followed the broadcast or social media clips."
BEIJING, CHINA - MAY 15: Members of the public watch from behind a barricade as a motorcade ferrying U.S. President Donald Trump and members of the U.S. delegation travels along a closed street on May 15, 2026 in Beijing, China. Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Toasts as CEOs jostle for selfies
Xi hosted Trump at a lavish state banquet at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday, raising a toast before an audience of cabinet officials and executives from some of the two countries' most successful companies. In his address, Trump called Xi "my friend" and said "we are going to have a fantastic future together," while inviting Xi and First Lady Peng Liyuan to visit the White House in September.
China's President Xi Jinping (2nd L) and US President Donald Trump (C) shake hands as they attend a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14, 2026. Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Images
Following his opening remarks, Trump raised a glass — filled with what looked like white wine, though the famously teetotal president likely had an alternative. Protocol for non-drinking leaders, as in the case of George W. Bush, typically involves sparkling cider or juice. The White House didn't respond to CNBC's request for comments on the contents of Trump's glass. But that gesture of toasting — whatever was in the glass — was widely appraised on Chinese social media as a sign of respect for the host country and its leadership. In China, Trump is a "cultural icon and thus a source of conversation, disputes, and inspirations as only he can be," said Han Shen Lin, China country director at The Asia Group.
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The menu also read like a work of diplomacy in its own right: a blend of Chinese national dishes and international cuisine, including beef ribs and tiramisu, an apparent nod to Trump's culinary preferences. China has for decades used the symbolism of food during landmark official events or when receiving distinguished foreign visitors. On the banquet's sidelines, Chinese CEOs jostled to grab a brief a moment with Elon Musk. Among the guests were ByteDance's Liang Rubo, Lenovo's Yang Yuanqing, and Fuyao Glass Industry Chairman Cao Hui, according to pictures on state broadcaster CCTV. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun, a longtime admirer of Musk and one of the first owners of a Tesla Model S in China, was seen taking a selfie with the electric carmaker's CEO before the start of the state banquet. Musk, seemingly exasperated by the selfie request, raised his eyebrows and huffed before the photo was taken. The moment went viral in China, with many people on social media joking that Lei had been humbled by his hero. The hashtag "Lei Jun and Musk photo together" drew more than 20 million views on Weibo. Footage of Musk spinning in a circle while recording on his phone during a group photo, alongside Nvidia Jensen Huang, Apple's Tim Cook, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, also went viral, racking up more than 52 million views on Weibo. "This scene is unlike anything you'd see in America," one user wrote. He also brought his six-year-old son X Æ A-Xii, who arrived at the Great Hall in a Chinese-style embroidered vest and a tiger-head-shaped crossbody bag. The bag, marketed by a Guangxi-based artisan brand for around 300 yuan ($44.2), sold out online after videos circulated online. Commenting under a post about his son's outfit on X, Musk wrote in Mandarin: "My son is learning Mandarin."
Jensen's walkabout
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