Each step is timed so that he walks past top officials from the Chinese and US delegations, reaching a discreet point on the red carpet within seconds of the arrival of his guest, US President Donald Trump. On cue, ceremonial music begins.
This level of precise, by-the-second planning, demonstrated during Trump’s first visit to Beijing in 2017, will be on show again from Thursday, with the US president expected to visit to the Temple of Heaven, an ancient place of worship where emperors once prayed for good harvests, and Zhongnanhai, the secretive headquarters of the ruling Communist Party – about which little is publicly revealed.