Trump-Xi summit ends with twist: US staff dump Chinese-issued phones, badges before boarding Air Force One
US staff and members of the travelling press accompanying President Donald Trump reportedly dumped all materials handed out by Chinese officials before boarding Air Force One on Friday.The move came as Trump concluded his high-profile two-day visit to Beijing after meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.According to the White House press pool, American officials collected and threw away several items issued during the visit, including press credentials, delegation pins and burner phones used by White House staff. The materials were reportedly dumped into a bin placed near the aircraft stairs shortly before departure from Beijing Capital Airport.The unusual move came despite the friendly public optics surrounding Trump’s meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the two-day state visit aimed at strengthening ties between Washington and Beijing.Behind the scenes, however, tensions reportedly emerged between Chinese and American officials over security and media access during several events linked to the summit, according to The Hill. During Trump and Xi’s visit to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, a US Secret Service agent accompanying the American press pool was allegedly denied entry by Chinese officials because the agent was carrying a firearm as part of standard security protocol.According to pool reports, the disagreement led to nearly a 90-minute delay before the media was allowed into the venue following what reporters described as ‘intense discussion’ between US and Chinese officials.Further friction was reported during Trump’s departure, when Chinese authorities allegedly prevented members of the US press pool from immediately joining the presidential motorcade before American aides intervened and pushed through security restrictions.The tensions echoed similar confrontations during previous US presidential visits to China. During former President Barack Obama’s 2016 trip to Hangzhou for the G20 Summit, US and Chinese officials were involved in public disputes over press access and security arrangements.Trump departed from China after holding a series of meetings with Xi and senior Chinese leaders at Zhongnanhai, the heavily guarded leadership compound of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.Speaking before leaving, Trump described the visit as ‘historic’ and praised Xi, saying both sides would continue strengthening engagement and maintaining direct communication.The visit also included a state banquet, a ceremonial welcome and discussions on trade, global security and regional stability. Trump said Xi was expected to visit the United States later this year in what he described as a ‘reciprocal’ visit.The China trip marked Trump’s first visit to the country in nearly a decade and came amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, trade negotiations and discussions over global economic stability.
