President Donald Trump heaped praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping as his Chinese counterpart underscored the importance of U.S.-China cooperation during their opening remarks at the start of Xi’s second state visit to the U.S.
Trump, in the Grand Foyer of the White House, described how he and first lady Melania Trump were “honored” to host Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at the presidential mansion.
“From the time of my first election in 2016, President Xi and I have forged a friendship, a truly great friendship, actually built on mutual respect and the vital interests of our people,” Trump said. “But remarkably, this is our first time meeting together here at the White House, and as President Xi has already seen, a lot has changed since he was last here.”
During his remarks, Trump was less direct regarding the U.S.’s philosophical differences with China, referencing how Xi was visiting during the 250th anniversary of the U.S.’s independence, with his trip including a tour of the National Archives to “see some of the greatest treasures of that proud history,” such as the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
“Cultural exchanges between China and the United States, just as our ancestors reached across the ocean centuries ago to trade, to learn, and to build a better world, our two countries do really the same thing, and we’re very proud of it and the relationship,” he said.
Trump then emphasized how he and Xi have “made tremendous strides on the issues facing our two countries,” including “a more balanced trading relationship,” before previewing a discussion regarding artificial intelligence amid pressure to agree on a coordinated international slowdown in frontier model development.
But while Trump concentrated on the U.S. and China’s common interests, Xi focused on cooperation, saying through a translator that both the U.S. and China “shoulder a historic responsibility of advancing human development and progress” as part of their “relationship of strategic stability,” an indication that China would not be dictated to.
“I am visiting the United States at President Trump’s invitation to carry on our friendship, expand cooperation, and promote the well-being of both our peoples,” Xi said. “We should strengthen communication. China and the United States are different in national conditions, but through candid, in-depth, and continued dialogue, our two countries can understand each other better, seek common ground while shelving differences and build up mutual trust.”
Xi added, “China and [the] United States, as two major countries, stand to gain from cooperation and will both lose in confrontation. We do not need to avoid mentioning competition, but our competition should be a healthy one and should be kept within bounds. It should be a race of catching up with one another, not a wrestle in which one either wins or loses. China and the United States must hold the line of no conflict and no confrontation between us, and we can certainly find the right path for the two great countries to get along on this planet we both call home.”
In particular, Xi repeated China’s interest in U.S. foreign investment, reiterating that he hopes “Chinese companies are treated fairly” in the U.S. as the two countries “cooperate with sincerity.”
Regarding AI, Xi said that both the U.S. and China have “the capability and responsibility to develop and manage AI for good, and ensure that the development of AI is always under human control and serves the well-being of the people.”
“On counter narcotics and law enforcement, the Chinese side is willing to strengthen cooperation with the United States,” he said. “Our two sides may also increase direct flights to facilitate two-way travel and trade.”
TRUMP AND XI ARE ARMED WITH A DIFFERENT SET OF PRIORITIES
Xi also announced that 100,000 American students would travel to China for exchanges and study in the next five years and, “in a few days,” two pandas would be coming to Zoo Atlanta.
Xi’s first state visit to the U.S. was during former President Barack Obama‘s second term in 2015. He is the first Chinese president to return to the U.S. for a second state visit, which will culminate in a state dinner on Thursday.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
