[US-China Summit] Musk '360-degree filming', Rubio 'thumbs up'... eccentric appearances draw attention

[US-China Summit] Musk '360-degree filming', Rubio 'thumbs up'... eccentric appearances draw attention

Tourist mode at the official event venue? ...A magpie that flew in when Trump appeared also garnered attention

High-ranking officials and superstar-level business leaders accompanying U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to China for the first time in nine years were captured by cameras in unexpected ways at various official event venues.

On the 14th, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed President Trump and held a welcoming ceremony, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, drew attention for rotating his body 360 degrees to take photos.

In the midst of global geopolitical turmoil, at an event where the leaders of the world's two major powers met for the first time in half a year, and where a solemn atmosphere, including an honor guard inspection, predominated, CEO Musk's seemingly curious demeanor stood out.

He even directly responded to the video on his X (formerly Twitter) account that day, using emojis.

Netizens reacted humorously, saying things like, "CEO Musk seems to have become a tourist on a state visit."

Another person who drew attention was U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had been in the spotlight even before his visit to China due to sanctions issues by the Chinese government.

Singapore's Chinese-language media Lianhe Zaobao and others reported that a scene of him looking up at the ceiling of the Great Hall of the People's meeting room while accompanying President Trump and President Xi's summit was broadcast live via foreign news channels.

He pointed at the ceiling of the meeting room with his finger and also gave a so-called 'thumbs up' while saying something.

His appearance, seeming interested in Chinese architecture, quickly spread through social media.

It particularly drew more attention given that he is considered a leading hardliner against China in the U.S. and had previously been sanctioned by the Chinese government.

Furthermore, it also became a topic of discussion that the Chinese character for his name on his nameplate in the meeting room was changed from the existing Rubiao (卢比奥) to Rubiao (鲁比奥).

Previously, after he was appointed Secretary of State, the change in his Chinese name was interpreted as the Chinese government having prepared a way to circumvent sanctions such as an entry ban against him.

On this day, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained in a regular briefing regarding the sanctions against him that "the sanctions were related to his words and actions concerning China during his tenure as a federal senator."

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, the world's number one company by market capitalization, immediately attracted the attention of the press upon his arrival.

He was not initially included in the delegation to China but joined Air Force One, the presidential aircraft, at the last minute in Alaska.

According to Reuters, he met with reporters at the Great Hall of the People that day and said, "The summit went well," adding, "President Xi and President Trump were amazing."

This delegation to China included not only Nvidia, which is waiting to sell H200 chips to China, and Tesla, which operates a factory in Shanghai, but also leaders of world-renowned companies such as Apple and BlackRock.

Meanwhile, on Chinese social media, it also became a topic of discussion that a magpie suddenly flew in when President Trump got out of his car to attend the welcoming ceremony that day.

In countries like Korea and China, magpies are considered auspicious birds that signify welcome guests.