I am a Malaysian and I bought 2 separate air tickets:

1. Kuala Lumpur to Beijing
2. Beijing to Los Angeles

I will arrive at Beijing at 6am and take the 2nd flight to US at 9am on the same day.

Do I need a VISA just to transit in Beijing?

My only concern is that I need to get out from Beijing check-in area to get my boarding pass for my 2nd flight and re-check-in after that.