Washington: US President Donald Trump welcomed his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday for a State visit, with both leaders calling for cooperation as they prepared to discuss trade, security and technology.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, before a ceremony that included the national anthems of China and the United States.
“President Xi and I have forged a friendship, a truly great friendship actually, built on the mutual respect and the vital interests of our people,” the US President said.
President Xi thanked the Trumps for their hospitality.
The Chinese President said he had come at Trump’s invitation to continue their friendship, expand cooperation and improve the lives of people in both countries.
The visit follows Trump’s trip to Beijing in May.
Trump said the two governments had since been working through a new trade mechanism to seek a more balanced relationship, including greater access to China’s market for American farmers and ranchers.
He gave no details of a new trade agreement in his welcoming remarks.
Trump said the talks in Washington would also cover security, technology and what he called “superintelligence”.
Decisions in those fields, the US President added, could shape peace and prosperity for decades.
President Xi set out a broad case for sustained contact between the two governments.
He called for dialogue among officials responsible for foreign affairs, the economy, finance and law enforcement.
China welcomed American companies seeking to invest there, President Xi said, and hoped Chinese companies would be treated fairly in the United States.
Both countries had a responsibility to develop artificial intelligence for the public good and keep it under human control, he added.
He also proposed closer cooperation on counter-narcotics and law enforcement, along with more direct flights to support travel and trade.
On security, President Xi urged the two countries to keep their competition within bounds and maintain regular military dialogue.
He called for better ways to communicate during crises and prevent them from escalating.
President Xi announced an invitation for 100,000 young Americans to visit China for exchanges and study over the next five years.
He also said two pandas would soon arrive at Zoo Atlanta, presenting the move as a gesture of friendship between the two peoples.
The leaders used the ceremony to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence.
President Xi offered his congratulations to Americans.
Trump said he would take President Xi to the National Archives on Friday to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The US President described the visit as a return of the hospitality that his Chinese counterpart Xi had shown him in Beijing.
He said it was their first meeting together at the White House, despite having met in several other countries.
The public remarks laid out the subjects for discussion but announced no outcome from the Washington talks.
Trump hosted Chinese President Xi at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida in 2017 during his first term as the US President.
Later that year, President Xi hosted Trump in Beijing.
Thursday’s White House ceremony marked a different setting for the two leaders’ talks.
(IANS)
