President Trump arrives in China for high-stakes summit with Xi

[0:00] And here's the president exiting the plane now, going to come down those steps to this [0:03] particular ceremony that we're going to see here. Jonathan, we had just had Janice explain to us [0:09] tomorrow is really where we'll see a lot of that pomp and circumstance when he actually meets [0:13] with Xi Jinping when the two of them are together. But walk us through what we're [0:17] going to see here in this moment and just how significant it is the president stepping onto [0:21] Chinese soil. Yeah, I mean, as your colleague said, I mean, this is the first time we've had [0:27] a U.S. president visiting China in nearly a decade. Right. And President Trump was the last one to make [0:32] this trip back in back in 2017. So this is this is fairly momentous, just the mere fact of the trip [0:38] actually happening. Right. And it is a shift in the overall tenor and vibe for for the U.S.-China [0:45] relationship, because after that trip in 2017, you, of course, had the trade war with Washington between [0:52] Washington and China. And then throughout the Biden administration, whenever there were encounters [0:56] between the two presidents, it was always in third countries. Right. I think there was a real hesitation [1:00] on both sides to engage in this kind of reciprocal visit, especially since the relationship was in [1:08] such a tense period. Right. So, again, I think this really shows a shift. And again, almost back to [1:13] an earlier era in some ways, it feels like in the U.S.-China relationship. I mean, I think what's [1:19] different now is that beneath the surface and beneath the pageantry, you do have a lot more contestation [1:25] behind this under under the hood. There is a real tension behind the surface. And I think [1:31] in both sides, in both Washington and Beijing, I think what everybody is waiting for is when does [1:36] when does this moment break and we return to a more competitive approach between the two sides [1:42] and greater tensions. Jonathan, that pageantry, this welcome ceremony, just a few minutes long, [1:48] but small things like this can have a big impact, especially for President Trump, who I think [1:52] appreciates pomp and circumstance. Walk us through even something like this can be so important in [1:58] setting the stage for this summit. Yes. I think, you know, by definition from the Chinese perspective, [2:04] you know, these meetings are supposed to be positive, right, because they want to have that [2:09] positive atmosphere and they want to position their leader to have a positive meeting with President [2:14] Trump. And I think, as your colleague indicated, they have been dealing with and thinking about [2:19] how to engage and deal with President Trump for a decade now, right? And so I think they understand [2:25] that this can have an outsized impact on President Trump, on his mindset as he comes to Beijing and as [2:33] he walks into the room tomorrow with Xi Jinping, right? I think they really want to emphasize that [2:38] positive spirit going into a meeting like this and have really put a lot of emphasis on this. [2:45] The other thing I would say, having, you know, staffed some of these meetings myself in the past is [2:49] how exquisitely Beijing prepares everything. They are meticulous. I mean, you know, they really [2:55] march through every blow-by-blow step in and really micromancing it. [3:04] Janice, let's bring you back in here. We've just seen the president, of course, exit the plane. [3:09] I'm about to get into this vehicle. Walk us through what we see next. Remind us tonight and tomorrow [3:14] morning what we will see from the president as well as from Xi Jinping. [3:17] President Trump will get into the beast and will roll along the highway from Beijing's airport to [3:29] the hotel where he's staying at the Four Seasons. It's quite close to the U.S. Embassy. And then [3:34] tomorrow morning, around 10 a.m. local time, he will head toward the Great Hall of the People, [3:41] which is on the western side of Tiananmen Square. There's going to be a ceremony in the square to [3:47] welcome the U.S. President. And then the meetings begin. He will be face-to-face with Xi Jinping for [3:55] most of the morning. And then they will do a walking tour together of the Temple of Heaven. It's a [4:01] beautiful 15th century structure. They've closed it to tourists for the day for this very occasion. [4:09] And then later, there will be a state banquet. And then into Friday, the meetings continue, [4:15] tea and lunch at Zhongnanhai. This is the center of power for Chinese politicians here in Beijing. [4:25] So this is a shorter visit than last time, cut to just two days. But still, a lot of the special features [4:34] that Jonathan talked about. Meticulously planned, meticulously executed, wanting to welcome President [4:43] Trump for this historic visit. The first visit by a U.S. President in nearly a decade. Of course, [4:52] the last time a U.S. President was here was President Trump back in 2017. So the expectation [5:00] that within a couple of minutes, the limousine will roll towards the hotel. This is always [5:07] a popular feature on Chinese social media. Earlier in the week, the vehicles were arriving by military [5:15] aircraft. And so people have been anticipating the moment when they could see this famous presidential [5:24] limousine go along Beijing's highways, rolling across Chinese soil for this historic summit with [5:30] President Xi. But Janice, tell us more about that, about just how the Chinese public is preparing for [5:36] this visit, anticipating this visit. It's Chinese social media is usually our barometer for trying [5:48] to measure what people think. Of course, there's a degree of anticipation. U.S. presidents don't visit [5:55] that often. There have been, of course, some brights about changes in traffic, that some tourist attractions [6:04] have been closed. But people are rolling with it. They, too, realize that there is a lot at stake. [6:14] China is looking to stabilize its economy. They're dealing with high youth unemployment, rising housing costs. [6:23] So they are looking for stability in the U.S.-China relationship that can help remove some of the [6:30] barriers and headwinds that China has been encountering. That said, the expectations out of [6:38] this summit are somewhat modest. Both sides are looking more so for practical and more immediate [6:46] deliverables. For President Trump, that could mean Chinese purchases of American goods, things like [6:53] aircraft, energy, agricultural goods, along with cooperation on fentanyl, and then possibly easing [7:01] some of the restrictions around critical minerals in rare earth supply chains. For Xi Jinping, again, [7:07] the priority is stability. With the economy, with tensions between the U.S. and China, and Beijing [7:15] wanting to avoid more tariffs. There's also the issue of Taiwan. There could probably not be a meeting [7:22] of these two men without the issue of Taiwan. It's unlikely there's going to be much that will [7:29] change in either of their positions. But this is seen as the core of China's core interests, [7:39] and it is likely also to be on the agenda. [7:42] We thank you for watching. And remember, stay updated on breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app [7:48] or watch live on our YouTube channel.