BEIJING, CHINA – MAY 14: (—-EDITORIAL USE ONLY – MANDATORY CREDIT – ‘WHITE HOUSE VIA X / HANDOUT’ – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS—-) US President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China on May 14, 2026. (Photo by White House via X/Anadolu via Getty Images) (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Behind the scenes of the high-stakes China summit, tensions are reportedly boiling over as the world watches the US and Chinese leaders closely.
President Trump and Xi Jinping have held talks covering contentious issues including the Iran war, trade, technology and Taiwan.
Trump declared in a toast at the state banquet that the US and China share a “deep sense of mutual respect”, yet off-stage relations between the two nations appear to have continued deteriorating as the state visit presses on.
With a reported ‘standoff’ and a US staffer trampled by a swarm of Chinese journalists backstage, the trip has been labelled a “s***show”.
The first incident unfolded on Thursday morning when a group of Chinese press reportedly forced their way into Trump’s meeting with President Xi, knocking over and standing on a White House staffer.
BBC GRAB Behind the scenes chaos during Trump’s visit to Beijing as staffer trampled & row between elite Secret Services erupts (Image: BBC)
As the aide was floored, American officials protested at the behaviour, though fortunately the staffer escaped without serious injury.
Members of Trump’s Secret Service also reportedly clashed with Chinese officials after being barred from entering a historic Beijing temple, owing to one of the agents carrying a firearm.
A journalist described the “intense” standoff as taking place during Trump’s first full day of the state visit, causing significant delays.
According to the White House press pool, the agent accompanying reporters was stopped by Chinese security and denied entry to the temple’s compound because of his firearm.
BEIJING, CHINA – MAY 14: The motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the Four Seasons Hotel on the way to the Great Hall of the People on May 14, 2026 in Beijing, China. Trump arrived in Beijing on May 13th for a two day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. It is the first visit to China by a U.S. President since Trump’s last visit in 2017. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images)
A dispute between US and Chinese officials resulted in a delay to the press corps entering the temple complex, with journalists briefly detained while representatives from both nations engaged in a heated argument over whether they could continue.
While held in the waiting area, one American reporter cried out: “We have to go!”
Chinese officials reportedly gave chase as the US delegation sprinted across the square to reach Trump’s motorcade.
These behind-the-scenes tensions have so far stood in stark contrast to the largely cordial exchanges between the two leaders, with the confrontation unfolding even as Xi and Trump took a leisurely tour of the historic temple.
Despite the broadly amicable atmosphere, Xi issued a stark warning over the simmering tensions between the two nations, cautioning that they could “come into conflict” during a two-hour summit earlier on Thursday.
The Chinese leader said: “If handled properly, bilateral relations can remain generally stable.
“If handled poorly, the two countries will clash or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly dangerous situation.”
