US President Donald Trump has called China's Xi Jinping a great leader and a friend as they kicked off two days of talks set to cover their fragile trade truce, the Iran war and US arms sales to Taiwan.
With his approval ratings dented by conflict in the Middle East, Mr Trump's anticipated trip to China - the first by a US president to America's main strategic rival since his last visit there in 2017 - has taken on added significance.
Joining him on the trip are a group of CEOs looking to resolve issues with China, including Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, a late addition.
President Trump has said his first request to Mr Xi will be to "open up" China to US industry.
The summit began at Beijing's Great Hall of the People where Mr Xi greeted Mr Trump on the red carpet, with the leaders shaking hands and smiling warmly.
Chinese troops goose-stepped to revolutionary anthems in front of the visiting US president, while school children waving American and Chinese flags cheered as the two leaders strolled past, Mr Trump occasionally patting Mr Xi on the back.
"You're a great leader, sometimes people don't like me saying it, but I say it anyway," Mr Trump told Mr Xi as they sat across from each other, flanked by their delegations.
He added: "There are those who say this may be the biggest summit ever ... It's an honour to be with you.
"It's an honour to be your friend and the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before."
Mr Xi told Mr Trump the two countries should be "partners and not rivals".
He said: "A stable China-US relationship is a boon for the world.
"Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both. We should be partners and not rivals."
Mr Xi added he was "happy" to receive Mr Trump as "the world has arrived at a new crossroads".
The power dynamic has shifted since Mr Trump's last visit to Beijing when China went out of its way to lavish Mr Trump and buy billions in US goods, said Ali Wyne, senior adviser for US-China relations at International Crisis Group.
Back then "China was trying to persuade the United States of its growing status ... This time around it's the United States, unprompted, of its own volition, that is acknowledging that status," Mr Wyne said, pointing out Trump revived the term 'G2', referring to a superpower duo, when he last met Mr Xi on the sidelines of an APEC meeting in South Korea in October.
This week's meetings will provide plenty of face time between the leaders: after their talks at the Great Hall, they will tour the UNESCO heritage site Temple of Heaven and attend a state banquet, before taking tea and lunch together tomorrow, according to the White House.
Mr Trump enters the talks with a weakened hand.
US courts have hemmed in his ability to levy tariffs at will on exports from China and other countries.
The Iran war has also boosted inflation at home and escalated the risk that Mr Trump's Republican Party will lose control of one or both legislative branches in November's midterm elections.
Though the Chinese economy has faltered, Mr Xi does not face comparable economic or political pressure.
Nevertheless, both sides are eager to maintain a trade truce struck last October in which Mr Trump suspended triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods and Mr Xi backed away from choking global supplies of rare earths, vital in making items from electric cars to weapons.
They are also expected to discuss forums to support mutual trade and investment and dialogue on AI issues.
Washington looks to sell Boeing airplanes, farm goods and energy to China to cut a trade deficit that has long irked Mr Trump, while Beijing wants the US to ease curbs on exports of chipmaking equipment and advanced semiconductors, officials involved in the planning said.
Aside from trade matters, Mr Trump is expected to encourage China to convince Tehran to make a deal with Washington to end the conflict.
But analysts doubt that Mr Xi will be willing to push Iran hard or end support for its military, given Iran's value to Beijing as a strategic counterweight to the US.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News aboard Air Force One that it was in China's interest to help resolve the crisis as many of its ships are stuck in the Gulf and a slowdown in the global economy would hurt Chinese exporters.
For Mr Xi, US arms sales to Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China, will be a top priority.
China reiterated yesterday its strong opposition to the sales, with the status of a $14-billion (€11 billion) package awaiting Mr Trump's approval still unclear.
The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties.
"Trump doesn't really have that many of the cards to play. But I don't think that Trump actually sees the situation that way," said Ronan Fu, an assistant research fellow at Taiwan's top government think tank Academia Sinica.
"I don't think that Trump is going to just let Beijing basically ask for whatever they want and then the US will make any concession that Beijing requests," he added.
Mr Xi has a reciprocal visit tentatively planned for later this year, which would be his first visit to the United States since Mr Trump re-took office in 2025.
