“We should be partners, not rivals”: What Xi Jinping said before meeting with Trump | Today’s news
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the US and China to work as partners rather than rivals when he arrived in the United States for a three-day state visit, which Xinhua said set the tone ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump.
“China and the United States are both great countries and both nations are both great nations,” Xi Jinping said in a written speech after arriving in the US on Wednesday, according to state-run Xinhua.
Xi Jinping said the two countries have maintained friendly exchanges for years and that their interests are closely linked. He also suggested that Beijing’s goal of achieving the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” and Trump’s quest to “make America great again” could co-exist.
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The summit is expected to cover trade and customs, artificial intelligence, rare earth minerals, Taiwan, Iran and military relations.
Xi emphasized that the two great nations should be partners rather than rivals because their interests are deeply intertwined and can benefit the world.
The US and China have agreed to extend a temporary truce in the trade war that includes tariff cuts and avoidance of new trade restrictions.
Xi was personally greeted by Trump at Joint Base Andrews, marking the first time a US president had greeted a foreign leader there since John F. Kennedy in 1962.
Yes, establishing a dialogue on AI security could serve as a basis for cooperation, addressing shared risks while competing for technological dominance.
The two ambitions, Xi said, “can go hand in hand, complement each other and benefit the world,” China’s state-run Global Times reported.
Trump personally welcomes Xi Jinping to a US air base
Trump personally welcomed Xi Jinping and Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan onto the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, kicking off the Chinese president’s state visit to Washington.
Xi received a high-profile welcome ceremony with a 100-foot-long red carpet, US service members, a military flyover including two B-1 bombers, and the presentation of the flags and national anthems of both countries.
Trump’s decision to personally greet a foreign leader at a military base was notable because it was said to be the first such instance by a US president since 1962.
Read also | Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for Xi Jinping
The last American president to personally welcome a foreign leader to the base was John F. Kennedy, who in 1962 received then-British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
Trade, technology and critical minerals on the cards
The meeting will mark Xi’s second summit with Trump in less than six months.
Talks are likely to focus on trade and tariffs, technology, critical minerals and the broader direction of US-China relations.
Ahead of Xi’s visit, Washington and Beijing also agreed to extend their temporary truce in the trade war, according to a Fox News report.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the two countries had agreed to extend the tariff truce until January, according to AFP.
In an interview with Fox News after meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Bessent said an agreement had been reached to extend the so-called “Busan Agreement”, which was set to expire on November 10.
Xi’s delegation includes several senior Chinese officials, including Politburo Standing Committee member Cai Qi, a close associate of the Chinese president.
Vice Premier He Lifeng and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are also part of the delegation, along with other senior officials and Chinese ambassadors.
