Beijing (AFP) - US President Donald Trump said he would ask Xi Jinping to “open up” China to American firms as he headed to Beijing on Wednesday for a high-stakes summit that will also bring up the Iran war.

In a sign of Trump’s focus on business, Nvidia chief Jensen Huang boarded Air Force One during a stopover in Alaska, with Tesla’s Elon Musk also travelling on the presidential plane to China.

“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 wrote on social media after departing Washington.

A host of other top CEOs, including Apple’s Tim Cook, will also be in Beijing for the visit, the first by a US president to China in nearly a decade.

But Trump’s ambitions to ramp up trade will have to contend with political frictions over Taiwan and the war in the Middle East, which already delayed the trip from March.

As he departed the White House, Trump said he expected a “long talk” with Xi about Iran, which sells most of its US-sanctioned oil to China.

But he also downplayed disagreements, telling reporters that “I don’t think we need any help with Iran” from China and that Xi had been “relatively good” on the topic.

The Chinese foreign ministry said Wednesday it “welcomes” Trump’s visit and that “China stands ready to work with the United States … to expand cooperation and manage differences”.

Yet Beijing is growing impatient for peace, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi urging his Pakistani counterpart on Tuesday to step up mediation efforts between Iran and the United States.

- ‘Big deal’ -

This week’s trip – the first since Trump visited Beijing in 2017 – will involve highly anticipated talks with Xi on Thursday and Friday, as well as lavish pomp and ceremony.

The packed itinerary includes a state banquet in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People and a tea reception.

Trump said Monday he would speak to Xi about US arms sales to Taiwan, the self-governing democracy claimed by China – a departure from historic US insistence that it will not consult Beijing on its support to the island.

China’s controls on rare earth exports, AI rivalry and the countries’ raucous trade relationship are also among the topics expected to be taken up by the heads of the world’s top two economies.

The two sides are set to discuss extending a one-year truce in their tariff war, which Trump and Xi reached during their last meeting in South Korea in October.

The tense buildup to the superpower summit was already visible on the streets of Beijing, with police monitoring major intersections and checking the ID cards of passengers on the metro, AFP journalists saw.

“It’s definitely a big deal,” said Wen Wen, a 24-year-old woman travelling from the eastern city of Nanjing, when asked by AFP about Trump’s visit.

“Some progress will certainly be made,” she said, noting that she hopes China and the United States can ensure “lasting peace” despite “recent instability in the global situation”.

- ‘Very good relationship’ -

The United States and China have long sought to stabilise their relationship despite increasingly seeing each other as adversaries in trade and geopolitics.

Trump has repeatedly touted a strong personal relationship with Xi, which he insisted on Monday would prevent a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing.

“I think we’ll be fine. I have a very good relationship with President Xi. He knows I don’t want that to happen,” he said.

Trump’s trip will be closely scrutinised by Taiwan and Asian allies for any sign of weakening US support.

Beijing has grown more confident and assertive since Trump’s 2017 trip and the US president finds himself in a weakened position as he seeks a way out of his Iran war.

But the summit also comes at an uncertain time for China’s economy, which has struggled in recent years with sluggish domestic spending and a protracted debt crisis in the once-booming property sector.

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