Officials in China rolled out an array of security measures ahead of President Trump’s arrival in Beijing, closing public parks and major roads, and implementing safeguards usually reserved for meetings of the country’s political leadership.
About 30 flights in and out of Beijing Capital International Airport between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday evening were canceled, according to Umetrip, an app developed by a state-owned aviation technology company. Mr. Trump landed in Beijing at 7:50 p.m. local time.
American and Chinese flags hung along the route that Mr. Trump took from Beijing Capital International Airport. The city is composed of concentric circles, and at its heart is the seat of China’s government — the modern Zhongnanhai compound, adjacent to the ancient Forbidden City palace complex.
Mr. Trump is staying at the Four Seasons Hotel, south of the United States Embassy, between Beijing’s third and fourth ring roads. All of the hotel’s staff have registered their identities with the authorities. Armed police officers, security barricades and screening tents have also been installed at the hotel’s entrances. Hotels near the embassy, including the Four Seasons, have no availability on their websites during Mr. Trump’s visit.
On Wednesday, there were more security personnel at the metal detectors at entrances to the Beijing subway, while police officers were patrolling with dogs. Observers of Chinese politics watch for police dogs in the metro as a sign of whether the Politburo, China’s top governing body, is holding its monthly session, which takes place unannounced.
Security barriers were erected on Wednesday around the Temple of Heaven, among Beijing’s most famous historic sites, which Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi will tour on Thursday. Two of the Forbidden City’s main access points, the Zhengyangmen and Tiananmen gateways, were closed to the public on Thursday.
Crowds were not allowed to gather to watch Mr. Trump’s motorcade to the Great Hall of the People on Thursday morning. When President Vladimir Putin of Russia visited Beijing in September, the roads around Tiananmen Square were also closed.
Some social media users said on Douyin, the Chinese domestic version of TikTok, that their travel plans had been abruptly canceled with the closure of the tourist sites. Others talked about severe traffic congestion after the Jianguomen Bridge, which connects the airport highway to the Tiananmen area, was partially closed on Wednesday.
Keith Bradsher contributed reporting.