Donald Trump departing from China (Image/AP)

US staffers and members of the traveling press accompanying President Donald Trump reportedly threw away all materials handed to them by Chinese officials before boarding Air Force One on Friday.The move came as Trump concluded his high-profile two-day visit to Beijing following meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.According to the White House press pool, U.S. officials collected and threw away several items issued during the trip, including press credentials, delegation pins, and burner phones used by White House staff. The material was reportedly thrown into a bin placed near the plane’s stairs shortly before departure from Beijing Capital Airport.The unusual move came despite friendly public optics surrounding Trump’s meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a two-day state visit aimed at strengthening ties between Washington and Beijing.Behind the scenes, however, tensions reportedly emerged between Chinese and US officials over security and media access during several summit-related events, according to The Hill. During Trump and Xi’s visit to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, a US Secret Service agent accompanying the US press pool was reportedly denied entry by Chinese authorities because the agent was carrying a firearm as part of standard security protocol.According to pool reports, the disagreement led to an approximately 90-minute delay in allowing media into the venue, leading to what journalists described as ‘intense discussions’ between US and Chinese officials.More friction was reported during Trump’s departure, when Chinese authorities reportedly prevented members of the US press pool from immediately joining the presidential convoy before US allies intervened and escalated security sanctions.The tension was similar to similar confrontations during previous US presidents’ visits to China. During former President Barack Obama’s visit to Hangzhou for the G20 summit in 2016, US and Chinese officials were involved in public disputes over press access and security arrangements.Trump left China after holding several meetings with Xi and senior Chinese leaders at Zhongnanhai, the heavily guarded leadership compound of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.Speaking before leaving, Trump described the visit as ‘historic’ and praised Xi, saying the two sides would continue to strengthen engagement and maintain direct communications.The visit also included a state banquet, a formal reception and discussions on trade, global security and regional stability. Trump said Xi was expected to visit the United States later this year in what he described as a “reciprocal” visit.The China visit was Trump’s first visit to the country in nearly a decade and came amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, trade talks and discussions on global economic stability.