Guests included top U.S. and Chinese officials and the chief executives of several major American companies.

His talks with Xi Jinping in Beijing could decide whether the United States and China maintain their uneasy truce on trade.

His talks with Xi Jinping in Beijing could decide whether the United States and China maintain their uneasy truce on trade.

President Trump arrived in Beijing, ahead of his meeting with President Xi Jinping of China. Among those accompanying Mr. Trump were top administration officials and business leaders.

With talks at an impasse, both sides are holding to positions their opponents call unacceptable, while the economic pain caused by the Strait of Hormuz blockade continues to grow.

Defense secretaries have previously traveled with presidents on overseas trips, to provide advice and represent the U.S. military.

America’s ability to deter China in a war over Taiwan is weakened, Chinese analysts say, giving Beijing leverage in an upcoming summit with President Trump.

The Pentagon’s rush to rearm its Mideast forces makes it less ready to confront potential adversaries like Russia and China, administration and congressional officials say.