Security protocols tighten as US delegation discards items before Air Force One departure from Beijing
Following a two-day summit in Beijing, attendees were required to discard lapel pins, badges, and devices into a bin at the base of the aircraft stairs before returning to Washington.
US President Donald Trump and a delegation of officials, including White House staff, reporters, and technology executives, concluded a two-day summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday. Before boarding Air Force One for the return flight to Washington, attendees were ordered to surrender and discard various items received during the trip, including staff burner phones, credential badges, and lapel pins issued by Chinese hosts.
The directive was reported by Emily Goodin, White House correspondent for the New York Post, who stated via a post on X that nothing from China was allowed on the plane. Photographs from the summit showed President Trump, White House communications director Steven Cheung, Apple chief executive Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, and Secret Service agents wearing the lapel pins on their coat lapels prior to the departure.
Items were reportedly thrown into a bin at the base of the aircraft stairs. While the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the move was attributed to security concerns. The US and its allies have long accused China of advanced intelligence and espionage capabilities, including spying and cyberattacks, raising concerns that gifted items could potentially be compromised.
The summit agenda covered trade, artificial intelligence, and the Strait of Hormuz. During the talks, Trump described Xi as a great leader and claimed they feel very similar on the desire to end the Iran war, although Xi did not mention Iran in his post-summit remarks. Xi issued a specific warning regarding Taiwan, stating that failure to handle the issue properly could lead to clashes. Trump stated he made no commitment regarding the defence of Taiwan, describing it as an issue he does not discuss publicly.
US stock markets rose during the summit, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 0.8%, the S&P 500 rising 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite climbing 0.2%. Nvidia shares surged more than 2% following news that the US approved H200 chip sales to Chinese firms. This marks the first visit by an American president to China since 2017.
