Before Departing, US Delegation Discards All Gifts from China, Including Pins and Mobile Phones

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON — President Donald J Trump and the US delegation departed from Beijing on Friday (15/5/2026) after completing two days of high-level talks with the Chinese government led by President Xi Jinping.

Before boarding Air Force One, White House staff and members of the press were required to hand over various items they had received during the visit. These items included disposable mobile phones belonging to staff, identification badges, and commemorative pins given by the Chinese side.

On X, a journalist from the White House press pool stated that passengers on Air Force One were asked to dispose of these items in containers provided near the aircraft’s steps.

“No items from China are allowed on the plane,” wrote Emily Goodin, a White House correspondent for the New York Post.

Photographic documentation from the visit shows several members of the US government delegation wearing pins on their jackets. These included President Trump, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and several Secret Service agents.

American staff took everything Chinese officials handed out - credentials, burner phones from WH staff, pins for delegation - collected them before we got on AF1 and threw them in a bin at bottom at stairs. Nothing from China allowed on the plane. We’re taking off shortly for…