President Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday without being personally received at the airport by Chinese President Xi Jinping, drawing attention to the diplomatic optics surrounding the high-profile visit.

Instead of Xi, Trump was welcomed by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, alongside senior foreign affairs officials and the US and Chinese ambassadors, reflecting the formal protocol arrangements set for the visit.

The absence of Xi at the airport quickly became a talking point, though analysts noted that such protocol decisions are often carefully staged rather than spontaneous. They also pointed out that Xi similarly did not personally receive Trump during his 2017 visit to China.

However, experts said the reception this time appeared more elevated in terms of representation, with a vice president leading the welcome rather than lower-ranking officials previously used in some diplomatic arrivals. This, they suggested, indicates that Beijing attaches greater strategic importance to the current engagement.

Trump travelled aboard Air Force One with a prominent delegation that included Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, underscoring the strong economic and geopolitical backdrop of the visit alongside official diplomatic talks.