US President Donald Trump descended the steps of Air Force One in Beijing on Wednesday evening, greeted with pomp and pageantry ahead of a high-stakes summit with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

During his two-day visit, the global superpowers are expected to discuss tariffs, competition over technology, the war in Iran, and America's relationship with Taiwan.

Trump returns to a more assertive China than the one he visited in 2017, as he faces mounting scrutiny over his military campaign in the Middle East.

The trip had originally been scheduled for March but was postponed because of the US and Israel's war in Iran, a conflict that continues to unsettle the global economy.