Washington, Sept 24. (dpa/GNA) – US President Donald Trump, welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on Thursday, on the second day of a high-stakes visit.
The Chinese leader arrived in Washington on Wednesday, in his first trip to the US since 2023, with trade tensions and artificial intelligence set to dominate the agenda.
The trip got off to an auspicious start, as US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, announced a two-month extension to the trade truce between the two superpowers late on Wednesday.
At the White House, Trump and Xi struck a conciliatory tone, emphasizing the need for greater communication and cooperation between the worldās two largest economies.
Xi invited 100,000 US nationals to study in China, while Beijing is set to continue its panda diplomacy by sending two pandas to a US zoo as a signal of friendship.
Trump announced “decisions” would be made on key issues such as “security, technology, and super intelligence,” the US president’s preferred new term for AI and a crucial arena of competition between the two countries.
“The decisions we make in these areas today can promote peace and prosperity for decades and decades to come,” Trump said.
According to a written address released by Chinaās official news agency, Xinhua, Xi stated that the US and China should be partners, not rivals.
He said it was a crucial year for relations between the two countries, adding that they should foster stable relations, characterized by cooperation, moderate competition, surmountable differences and the prospect of peace.
The two leaders were set to hold bilateral talks, after the reception at the White House before a state dinner on Thursday evening, attended by US tech executives.
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google and Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai and Apple chief executive Tim Cook are all expected, according to a senior government official.
Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan, landed on Wednesday evening at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, where they were greeted by Trump and his wife Melania.
Washington rolled out the red carpet to welcome the Chinese delegation, with children presenting bouquets of flowers to Xi and his wife, while two B-1 bombers flew overhead.
The welcome ceremony also included a 21-person guard of honour, a battery salute from cannons and the US Air Force band playing both national anthems.
Further topics likely to be discussed during the visit, which concludes on Friday, include global conflicts such as the war in Iran and Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Xi last visited the US in 2023, when he travelled to California for the APEC economic summit and met Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden.
GNA