Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan received a ceremonial welcome at the White House on Thursday from US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, marking the third meeting between the two leaders in 11 months.
The visit was the first time in more than a decade that Xi had entered the White House. The two presidential couples took part in an official red-carpet welcome before moving inside, where the countries’ national anthems were played.
Trump hails ‘great friendship’
Trump said “a lot has changed” since Xi’s previous White House visit and described their relationship as one based on “mutual respect”.
“Together we built a truly great friendship, based on mutual respect and the vital interests of our peoples,” he said.
Trump also spoke of “tremendous steps” in US-China relations since his first election in 2016.
The US president said Washington and Beijing were working towards a “more balanced trade relationship”, including new market access for American farmers.
Security, technology and what Trump calls “superintelligence”, referring to Artificial Intelligence, were also on the agenda.
Trump concluded his remarks by noting that the US Marines had adopted the phrase “gung-ho” from China, saying it meant “working together”.
Xi speaks of relationship built on trust
Xi placed particular emphasis on what he described as the strategic relationship of trust the two countries had developed recently, saying this had been absent in previous years.
He described China and the US as “great countries, with great people” that have a “historic responsibility” to promote development and human progress.
Xi said he was ready to work with Trump to “steer the great ship of China-US relations towards a stable future”.
He also expressed hope that Chinese companies would receive fair treatment in the United States.
Artificial Intelligence on the agenda
Xi said China and the US, as leading countries in Artificial Intelligence, have both the ability and responsibility to manage the technology responsibly.
He argued that AI should remain under human control and contribute to the wellbeing of people.
Trump had previously indicated that “superintelligence” would be a central subject during his talks with Xi.
The American president said he wanted to leave “things exactly as they are”, describing this as Beijing’s position as well, while referring to the US Department of Justice as a safeguard.
The previous week, Trump said existing US safeguards were sufficient to regulate and prosecute AI companies, playing down concerns raised by technology industry figures over misuse of the technology and potential harm to people.
Trump praises Xi and recalls wartime cooperation
Ahead of the White House meeting, Trump wrote about welcoming Xi and Peng at the airport, describing the Chinese president as “strong, vigorous and fit” and his wife as “beautiful”.
Trump also recalled the historic cooperation between the United States and China during the Second World War, despite the two countries now being regarded as major global competitors across numerous economic, technological and geopolitical fronts.
The ceremonial tone of Xi’s Washington visit and the language used by both presidents underscored an effort to emphasise cooperation and improved personal relations, while substantive discussions focused on some of the most consequential issues shaping relations between the world’s two major powers.
