Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States is a major topic in American and British publications today.
BRITAIN
President Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for his counterpart Xi Jinping, who arrived in the United States for a three-day state visit, writes the British newspaper "Telegraph".
Despite their serious disagreements, the two countries organized the official state visit, which is his first to the United States in more than a decade. During his previous state visit in 2015, Xi was welcomed by then-President Barack Obama, the publication indicates. Neither side expects a major deal to be reached, but the leaders are expected to be cordial during their third meeting since Trump returned to the White House.
Artificial intelligence is expected to dominate the summit agenda as the two countries race for technological supremacy, which has serious implications for their national security, military affairs and economies, the Telegraph reports.
Xi's plane was greeted with a lavish ceremony that included a 30-meter red carpet, a procession of US military personnel, a flyover by two B-1 bombers and the presentation of the flags and national anthems of both countries, the Guardian reports.
US presidents usually welcome foreign leaders at the White House, but Trump and First Lady Melania arrived at the Maryland military base, adjacent to the White House. to Washington to personally welcome Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan and shake their hands upon their arrival in the US, the publication notes.
The Chinese president will be welcomed at the White House with a 21-gun salute, the "Guardian" indicates. His program also includes a one-on-one conversation with the US president and first lady, as well as a tour of the National Archives, among other special events. Xi's visit is expected to be lavish, similar to Trump's lavish reception during his visit to China earlier this year, the newspaper commented.
USA
Trump has been presenting Xi's visit for weeks as an important event for the United States, writes the "New York Times".
The newspaper quoted Jonathan A. Jin, a researcher at the "Brookings" Institution, who previously worked at the CIA as an analyst of China policy, according to whom, however, the two leaders are in radically different positions.
Time is on Xi's side and in his meeting with Trump he will hope to buy more time to free himself from American pressure, as he plans to serve a fourth term, which means he will remain in power for another five years, the expert said. Trump faces midterm elections in a few weeks and his party faces an uphill battle over some of his policies.
The leaders are expected to discuss a range of issues today and tomorrow amid the complex relationship between the world's two largest powers, the Washington Post reported. Trump wants to bring back a number of industrial production plants to the United States and is seeking China's cooperation in this direction. Xi, for his part, is seeking to take advantage of the US president's relatively favorable attitude to put more pressure on Taiwan and expand China's influence in world affairs.
Trump and Xi are likely to meet twice more this year, with such a frequency of meetings between the US and Chinese leaders being rare in recent years, the publication said. Xi will host leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Shenzhen, China, in November, and Trump will host G20 leaders in Miami in December.
Expectations for substantial results from this week's visit are muted, but U.S. officials say the intense pace of meetings between the two leaders could in itself be a positive development, as it could help build trust and prevent misunderstandings if the two men can establish a good personal relationship, the "Washington Post" noted.