Hi there
i'm going to PEK in march on a UA flight from SFO. my girlfriend is coming from HKG on a KA flight. is there any way I can pick her up from the gate?
I was looking at the airport map, we both should arrive at terminal 2.
many thanks

No. You need to go to immigration after you arrive. I suppose you could wait for her at immigration or in baggage claim, but I recommend the Starbucks near door #4.

where is door #4?

While I have no intentions whatsoever of putting you down, your question reminds me too much of personal experience last week to refrain from comment:

My girlfriend was arriving at PEK and I was to meet her there with a car. We were running late -- so by the time we reached the toll booth, she had already fetched her bags and was en route to the exit. Based on the driver's instructions, I advised her to meet us outside of door #11 on the departures level. ....in spite of the clearly marked signage, this advice flustered her and set the trip off on a sour note.

That having been said, I would still like to believe that anyone who's been in an airport more than once would be able to figure out the lay of the land within 5 minutes.

Getting back to your question, the doors are numbered 1 through 13 (or so). The international section comprises the first 6 or 7, while the rest is domestic. IIRC, there is only one Starbucks in the arrivals lobby and it is located between 4 and 5.

oh so the starbucks is in the arrival hall past baggage claim.
i was thinking more about meeting my gf either before immigration or at the baggage claim.
are there seats before immigration so i can sit and wait?
if there aren't then baggage claim would seem to make more sense.

IIRC, there are a handful of seats scattered along the edges of the hallway.... so I suppose you could wait there.

That having been said, if I were an immigration or customs official and noticed someone loitering in no-man's land for an extended period of time, they'd definitely win some additional screening.

yea true...dont want more trouble,
well thx for all the advice and help moondog

No prob. As much as I hate Starbucks (not a coffee person), it really is the best option. I've used it many times during airport pick-ups and have a 100% success rate