Donald Trump was “humiliated” by Chinese leader Xi Jinping on his arrival in China, according to political commentators.
The US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing this afternoon, marking the first visit to China by a sitting American president in nearly a decade.
Flanked by a high-powered delegation that includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and tech heavyweights like Apple’s Tim Cook and Tesla’s Elon Musk, Trump was greeted at the airport with a formal red-carpet ceremony, military guard, and a welcoming crowd of chanting students.
But many have pointed out that Xi opted not to join in with the airport welcome.
Political commentator Brian Allen posted on X: “Massive insult! Trump just landed in China.
“Xi Jinping did not greet him at the airport. Instead, the US Ambassador, China’s Vice President, and two foreign ministry officials.
“The White House is calling it ‘red carpet treatment’. The same summit that was downgraded to a low-impact meeting before it started.
“China is treating the United States like a third-world country.”
His comments have been echoed by many others online, who questioned the move.
Others have also shared videos online of Xi Jinping meeting North Korean leader Kim Jon-Un at the airport during his 2018 visit.
Unlike the celebratory “state visit-plus” of his 2017 trip, the choreography for Trump’s visit is noticeably scaled back, reflecting the deep geopolitical distrust built over years of intense tariff disputes and technological competition.
Political analyst Yoon Ju-heon also highlighted that sending Han Zheng, who is eighth in China’s power hierarchy and lacks substantial policymaking power, was a calculated, symbolic move that revealed China’s underlying diplomatic strategy.
“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,” Trump says in a post on social media.
Trump says that will be his “very first request” when he meets the Chinese leader.
“I have never seen or heard of any idea that would be more beneficial to our incredible Countries,” he says.
