President Trump and President Xi Jinping [Yonhap News Archive Photo]

With the US-China summit scheduled for next week, preparations for the meeting are gaining momentum, with US military transport planes arriving in Beijing one after another and close associates of President Trump visiting China.

According to China's Pengpai News and Hong Kong's Ming Pao, an US Air Force C-17 transport plane landed at Beijing Capital International Airport on the 1st, followed by three more aircraft of the same model arriving on the 2nd and 3rd.

This brings the total number of US military transport planes known to have arrived in Beijing to at least four.

Videos and photos of US military transport planes flying over Beijing have been circulating on Chinese social media.

While both the US and Chinese governments have not officially commented on the arrival of the transport planes, Chinese media outlets are focusing on the possibility that they are being used for pre-summit logistical transport.

Typically, when the US President visits abroad, numerous military transport aircraft are deployed along with a large delegation, and equipment such as the presidential armored limousine 'The Beast,' communication gear, and security equipment are transported to the destination in advance.

The US side has stated that President Trump plans to visit China on the 14th-15th and hold a summit with President Xi Jinping.

However, the Chinese government has not officially confirmed President Trump's visit to China to date.

Amidst this, a bipartisan delegation from the US Congress, led by Senator Steve Daines, a close associate of President Trump, recently visited China for preliminary coordination.

Pengpai News reported that Senator Daines and his delegation visited Beijing and Shanghai consecutively from the 1st, focusing on discussions regarding economic and trade cooperation and technological issues.

In a US media interview prior to his visit, Senator Daines stated that issues concerning US-China competition would be a major agenda item.

Senator Daines, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has lived in China for approximately six years in the past and is regarded as having served as an informal communication channel between the two countries during the first Trump administration.

He has continued to engage with China, visiting the country in March of last year after the launch of the second Trump administration, where he met with Premier Li Qiang and Vice Premier He Lifeng in Beijing.

China experts view Senator Daines' visit as a "preliminary coordination" ahead of the summit.

Professor Diao Daming of the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China commented, "Senator Daines is considered an important figure for communication with China within the Republican Party and holds a relatively pragmatic stance. This visit will contribute to the stability of bilateral relations."

He added, "At a time when the possibility of a visit by a high-level US official is being discussed, exchanging positions in advance can create a positive atmosphere for high-level interactions. The inclusion of Democratic members in the delegation shows the willingness of both US parties to strengthen communication with China."

Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that President Trump's visit to China would not be postponed, even amidst the ongoing military tensions between the US and Iran.

In an interview with Fox News on the 3rd (local time), he said, "As far as I know, President Trump will not change his schedule."