politics
US Motorcade SUVs Spotted in Beijing Ahead of May 14 Presidential Visit
Two black SUVs with tinted windows and U.S. government plates were observed on a Beijing highway on Wednesday. The vehicles are part of preparations for a presidential visit scheduled for May 14 that includes a China-U.S. summit. Multiple U.S. Air Force C-17 transport aircraft have delivered security equipment and personnel since May 1.
South China Morning PostAudio version
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Two black SUVs with tinted windows and U.S. government plates were spotted on a Beijing highway Wednesday, according to images that circulated on Chinese social media. The vehicles form part of the advance preparations for a presidential visit to the Chinese capital set for May 14.
The images show heavily armored U.S. Secret Service Suburban cars that have long served as primary vehicles in presidential motorcades. " Some of the circulating photographs displayed a vehicle plate reading D01290. One social media user responded by asking whether the foreign cars had obtained an entry permit to operate on Beijing roads.
The SUVs were delivered in recent days by U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft. Since May 1, multiple C-17s have landed at Beijing Capital International Airport carrying specialized infrastructure for the visit.
The cargo has included armored vehicles, Secret Service communications equipment and federal security advance teams. Officials have not released a detailed schedule for the trip or the planned meetings during the China-U.S. summit. The presidential motorcade typically centers on a custom-built limousine widely described as a moving fortress.
Its deployment in Beijing marks a visible element of the security buildup for the diplomatic event.
