US President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. The Chinese side has already reported on the initial results of the talks, while the White House has not yet provided official comments. A state banquet and another day of talks are ahead.
This is reported by The Guardian and CNN.
What China said about the results of the meeting
Chinese President Xi Jinping has agreed with US President Donald Trump to establish a “constructive strategic and stable relationship” that could be the beginning of a recovery in ties between the two countries that have been strained in recent years. Xi said the relationship should be based on cooperation, “well-regulated competition” and lasting stability, even in the face of “managed differences,” over the next three years and beyond.
The Chinese side also announced the achievement of agreements in a number of areas:
- Trade: U.S. and Chinese economic and trade teams “achieved an overall balanced and positive outcome” in discussions ahead of Trump-Xi talks.
- Other cooperation. The Chinese leader noted that the United States and China should cooperate in other areas, including trade, health, agriculture, tourism, people-to-people exchanges and law enforcement. He said the two sides should also “effectively use political and diplomatic channels, as well as military communication mechanisms.”
- Global conflicts. The leaders “exchanged views on major international and regional issues, including the situation in the Middle East.” Trump and Xi also discussed the war in Ukraine.
- Taiwan issue. According to Jinping, “the Taiwan issue is the most important in China-US relations.” He warned that relations between the countries can remain stable if the issue is “properly handled,” but if the wrong approach is taken, the parties risk entering into conflict, which will create a “very dangerous situation.”
At the same time, Trump did not answer reporters' questions about whether the “Taiwan issue” was discussed during the meeting. According to CNN, in a video during their tour of the Temple of Heaven, reporters asked the US president about the topic twice, but he never answered.
How was the meeting ceremony?
At the beginning of the meeting, Xi Jinping said that China and the United States should be partners, not rivals.
“Both countries benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation,” the Chinese leader said.
Xi Jinping told Trump he was “glad” for his visit as the world stands “at a new crossroads,” adding that he looked forward to exchanging views with the US president on key issues.
Trump responded by calling Xi Jinping a “great leader” and saying he always tells the truth.
“You are a great leader. I say that to everyone. Sometimes people don't like it when I say it, but it's true. I am honored to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the United States will be better than ever before,” Trump said.
Before the meeting began, Trump noted that he and Xi have known each other “for a very long time.” He said, “This is the longest relationship between the leaders of our two countries that there has ever been between a U.S. president and a Chinese president.”
“And it's an honor for me. We had a fantastic relationship, we got along well. When there were difficulties, we solved them. I called you, you called me every time there was a problem. People don't know: every time we had a problem, we solved it very quickly. And we have a fantastic future together ahead of us,” Trump said.
During a visit to the Temple of Heaven, Trump, answering a journalist's question, said that talks with Xi were “going great.”
“Everything is great,” Trump said. “A wonderful place. Incredible. China is beautiful.”
As a reminder, Trump arrived in Beijing on May 13. More than 12 executives of American companies flew to China with him, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
This is the first state visit by an American president to China in almost nine years – Trump's previous visit was in November 2017 during his first term as president.