Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a three-day visit to the US. The honors bestowed on the Chinese president on the occasion of his state visit to Washington - the first since 2015 - show how important this meeting is for US President Donald Trump. The visit culminated in a state dinner hosted by Trump at the White House in honor of his Chinese counterpart last night.
Great Britain
At the meeting with Trump, Xi Jinping outlined the conditions for avoiding a military conflict between the US and China, writes a headline in the "Guardian" newspaper.
The Chinese president's proposals to reduce tensions come at a time of fierce competition between the two countries in the field of artificial intelligence and trade, the British publication notes.
Xi Jinping called for broad cooperation with Washington to avoid the "Thucydides trap", which could put the US and China on the path to a military clash amid growing tensions over artificial intelligence, trade and Taiwan.
At the beginning of the meeting with Donald Trump at the White House, the Chinese president outlined the conditions for mutual understanding that, he said, could steer the two rival world powers away from future military conflict and put them on a path of mutual benefit.
Instead of confrontation, the conditions for "achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again go hand in hand" and should be the goal of both countries, Xi said, citing Trump's political slogan.
"We need to strengthen communication. China and the United States differ in their national conditions, but through frank, in-depth and continuous dialogue, the two sides can better understand each other, seek common ground while putting aside differences, and build mutual trust," Xi said.
"We should coexist peacefully. "China and the United States, as two major powers, have something to gain from cooperation and both will lose from confrontation," he added.
Under such conditions, he said, "the Thucydides trap can be overcome," referring to the phenomenon defined by the Greek historian as the tension that arises when an emerging power challenges the dominance of an established power.
Xi used the phrase during his meeting with Trump in Beijing in May, asking the US president how he intended to avoid such a trap.
The Chinese president's proposals to reduce tensions, which included inviting 100,000 young Americans to visit China as part of student exchange programs, come at a time of intense competition between the two powers in the fields of artificial intelligence and trade, with each side imposing tariffs on the other, he noted. "Guardian".
For his part, Trump said he had built a "really great friendship" with Xi. "President Xi and I have made tremendous progress on the issues that our two countries face", he said, adding: "Our teams are working to promote a more balanced trading relationship, including new market access for American farmers and ranchers".
Xi also praised his personal relationship with his American counterpart, saying: "President Trump and I respect each other. We have built a personal relationship and we maintain a relationship".
Addressing Trump directly, he said: "During your visit to China this year, we agreed to build a constructive China-US relationship based on strategic stability. I am ready to work with you to steer the giant ship of China-US relations on a stable course for the future."
Later yesterday, Trump hosted Xi at the White House for a state dinner. Among the notable guests from the tech world were Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, The Guardian reports.
In his speech at the dinner, Trump mentioned the titans of industry, recounting how 158 years ago Chinese diplomats first arrived in the US and met with American intellectuals such as Henry David Thoreau and prominent political figures.
"Both President Xi and I understand that we represent different systems, but the bonds between our peoples are enduring and we have never understood each other better," Trump said.
Xi also addressed the dinner attendees, saying that his talks with Trump during the visit had led to "mutual understanding on many issues" and suggested that the US and China find a new approach to working together.
"China and the United States must act as responsible world powers," he said.
Despite the harmonious tone the two leaders adopted, analysts expressed skepticism about the possibility of reaching long-term and stable agreements on a number of issues, the British publication notes.
In the race for intelligence development, the United States has imposed strict export restrictions on microchips, semiconductors, software and chip-making equipment in an attempt to slow down China's development.
A trade truce agreed between Trump and Xi in South Korea last year to maintain lower tariffs was due to expire in November but has now been extended until February, US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said.
Analysts believe the extension shows Trump remains dissatisfied with Xi's proposed trade concessions and wants to keep up the pressure with the hope of striking a better deal if the two meet again at the G20 summit in Miami in December, the Guardian reports.
Despite the trade war between the two countries, Chinese imports to the US continue to grow steadily.
USA
Trump and Xi spent a day together filled with pomp and conflicting priorities, the American newspaper "Washington Post" headlined.
Amidst pomp and symbolism, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Donald Trump ended a day of ceremonies and meetings with a state dinner at the White House, with the two leaders trying to demonstrate a spirit of cooperation despite deep differences, the Washington Post notes.
The dinner took place after the two leaders exchanged gifts and then watched an impressive a B-2 stealth bomber, the type that struck Iran's nuclear program last year, flew over, accompanied by four state-of-the-art F-22 fighter jets, as a military band played music in the White House Rose Garden.
At the start of their day of meetings, the two leaders exchanged compliments and stressed their willingness to work together.
"I'm glad to welcome you to the beauty of the White House," Trump said, adding: "As President Xi has already seen, a lot has changed since he was last here.".
Trump said the two would discuss pressing issues related to security, technology and artificial intelligence. He also mentioned his personal relationship with the Chinese leader.
Xi seemed less focused on building personal relationships and more on specific political issues. The Chinese president said he and Trump hoped competition between the two countries would remain "healthy" and called on the armed forces of both countries to improve crisis prevention measures.
"China-U.S. cooperation may not solve all the world's problems, but without it, it would be difficult to solve many of the world's problems," Xi said.
The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues touching on many aspects of the complex relationship between the two countries. Xi was expected to continue trying to limit U.S. support for Taiwan - a self-governing island that Washington has long backed militarily. Trump is seeking Chinese investment in U.S. manufacturing, curbing Beijing's aid to Iran in its war with Washington and cooperation on other issues. Foremost among them are artificial intelligence and how to respond to the rise of advanced and potentially dangerous AI models, notes the "Washington Post".
It was Xi's first visit to Washington since a state visit 11 years ago with President Barack Obama — and an indicator of how much Trump's approach to China has changed since his first term, and even since the early months of his second, moving from confrontation to courtship, the American publication points out.
During his first term, Trump steered Washington away from economic cooperation that previous presidents of both parties had supported in the hope that a richer China would become more democratic.
When he returned to office, Trump quickly raised tariffs on Chinese goods to 145 percent, demanding that production moved to China be brought back to the United States. But he backed down after Beijing retaliated by imposing export restrictions on critical minerals that feed U.S. high-tech industries.
Now Trump is back in courtship mode, agreeing to frequent meetings with Xi that bring them to the negotiating table every few months. For this visit, the U.S. president has pressed his team to renovate the White House grounds, including a new helipad on the South Lawn, which he cut the ribbon on this week, according to the "Washington Post".