Washington DC - As negotiators scrambled to calm trade tensions ahead of Thursday's summit, President Donald Trump vowed to put pressure on Chinese President Xi Jinping to open China's markets to US tech firms.

"I will be asking President Xi, a leader of extraordinary distinction, to 'open up' China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People's Republic to an even higher level!" Trump wrote on Truth Social during a stopover in Alaska on his way to Beijing.

He also confirmed that NVIDIA chief Jensen Huang was aboard Air Force One for the trip, alongside Tesla's Elon Musk and an assortment of other tech oligarchs.

"In fact, I promise, that when we are together, which will be in a matter of hours, I will make that my very first request," Trump vowed. "I have never seen or heard of any idea that would be more beneficial to our incredible Countries!"

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A host of other top CEOs, including Apple's Tim Cook, will also be in Beijing for the visit, the first by a US president to China in nearly a decade.

But Trump's ambitions to ramp up trade will have to contend with political frictions over not only Taiwan, but the US and Israel's war of aggression against Iran and China's tepid support of Russia in Ukraine.

As he departed the White House, Trump said he expected a "long talk" with Xi on Iran, which sells most of its US-sanctioned oil to China. He downplayed disagreements, telling reporters that "I don't think we need any help with Iran" from China and that Xi had been "relatively good" on the topic.

China's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that it "welcomes" Trump's visit to Beijing and that "China stands ready to work with the United States… to expand cooperation and manage differences."

As Trump made the journey to Beijing, top Chinese and US negotiators on Wednesday met in South Korea to hash out trade tensions between both economies and set the groundwork for the highly anticipated summit.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met for "economic and trade consultations," Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

The two sides held "a candid, in-depth and constructive exchange on resolving economic and trade issues of mutual concern and further expanding practical cooperation."

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Triggered by Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs, Washington and Beijing spent much of last year slapping tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's exports, with levies at times exceeding 100%.

Trump and Xi agreed on a year-long truce at a meeting last October in South Korea, and an expansion to that deal is one particularly crucial item on the agenda for this week's summit.

"Economic security is national security," Bessent said as he announced his South Korea trip on social media.

"And I look forward to a productive series of engagements as we work to advance President Trump’s America First Economic Agenda."