Trump-Xi LIVE: Trump gifts Chinese President bald eagle statue, invites him to tour new White House ballroom
President Donald Trump shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping in the East Room of the White House during a State Dinner, Thursday.Xi Jinping-Trump meeting LIVE: Chinese President Xi Jinping is attending a state dinner at the White House on Thursday (local time) after holding talks with his US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington. The two leaders discussed artificial intelligence, trade, Taiwan, the Gulf and the Russia-Ukraine war as they sought to manage ties between the world’s two largest economies....Read More
The meeting was Xi’s first visit to Washington in more than a decade and his second summit with Trump this year. China said the leaders also discussed the Korean Peninsula, while giving no details of their conversation. AI emerged as a key focus, Reuters reported. Xi called for its development to remain under human control. Trump and Xi have sought to project stability in US-China ties despite major differences over trade, technology and security. Xi also said the two countries should act as “partners, not rivals” and avoid conflict and confrontation. Trump welcomes Xi at White House Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcomed Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at the White House ahead of the state dinner. Trump highlighted his relationship with Xi and said the two countries had made progress on trade. Trump also said the leaders would discuss security, technology and “super intelligence”. He said decisions taken in these areas could shape peace and prosperity for decades. Xi said competition between Washington and Beijing should remain healthy and within limits. He also called for greater cooperation in areas including the fight against illegal drugs and stronger coordination between the two countries’ militaries. Xi receives rare airport welcome from Trump Xi arrived in Washington on Wednesday for his three-day state visit to the US. Trump and Melania personally welcomed him and Peng Liyuan at Joint Base Andrews, a rare gesture for a visiting foreign leader. He was accompanied by senior Chinese officials, including Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. No joint press conference after talks The Oval Office talks took place behind closed doors, and the two leaders did not hold a joint press conference afterwards. Trump said the conversation was “great” but did not take questions from reporters. China’s foreign ministry said the leaders also supported the successful hosting of the informal APEC leaders’ meeting in China in November and the G20 summit in the US in December.
Trump-Xi Jinping meeting LIVE: Trump invited Xi and other state dinner guests to tour the construction site of his new $400 million White House ballroom after dinner. “As a special treat in honor of President Xi and Madam Peng, I’d like to invite everyone in the room to visit through that beautiful curtain in the back, the door, it’s all lit up and looks beautiful,” Trump said in the East Room. “I can tell you that tonight, if we had it, we would have had way more than 1,000 people with standing room only, and this room has about 145.”
“They’ve been looking for this for over 150 years, all presidents, and they will shortly have it,” Trump said, adding that the ballroom is “one year away from completion.”
Trump suggested that guests view the construction after the entertainment concludes.
“Anybody wants to walk into a construction site that’s nice and clean and sparkling, it’s our honor to have you do so,” Trump said.
Trump told the guests that, “In honour of you, you'll be the first people to step foot on that.”
Xi Jinping-Trump meeting LIVE: Chinese President Xi Jinping invoked key moments in US-China history during his speech at the White House state dinner. He referred to George Washington’s interest in Chinese porcelain, cooperation between Chinese and American forces during World War II, and former US President Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit to China.
Xi said the two countries should build on their history of cooperation and “write a new chapter” in their relations. He also said Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda could stand alongside China’s goal of “great national rejuvenation”, calling on both sides to act as responsible major powers.
Xi Jinping-Trump meeting LIVE: Guests were served yellow squash velouté, sesame-crusted sea bass and vanilla crémeux with White House honey ice cream, as per AFP.
Xi Jinping-Trump meeting LIVE: US President Donald Trump presented Chinese President Xi Jinping with a custom-made statue of a bald eagle, the national symbol of the United States, during the White House state dinner.
Xi Jinping-Trump meeting LIVE: The White House state dinner brought together several prominent figures from the US technology industry.
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, billionaire Elon Musk and other business leaders were among the guests.
Xi Jinping-Trump meeting LIVE: Artificial intelligence emerged as a major issue in the Trump-Xi talks. Xi said the US and China have a responsibility to develop and manage AI in a way that keeps humans in control and ensures the technology serves people.
Xi Jinping-Trump meeting LIVE: Xi Jinping and Donald Trump discussed several major global issues, including the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine war and the Korean Peninsula, according to China’s official readout. The statement did not provide details of their discussions.
Xi Jinping-Trump meeting LIVE: US President Donald Trump highlighted his personal relationship with Xi Jinping as the two leaders began their White House engagement. Trump said their meetings over the years had helped them build what he described as a “truly great friendship”. (AP)
Xi Jinping-Trump meeting LIVE: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at the White House for a state dinner hosted by Donald Trump, with top US tech leaders among the guests.
