Washington: President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping struck a conciliatory tone at a White House state dinner, with Xi saying their talks had produced a “common understanding on many issues” and Trump calling for a relationship that promotes prosperity and security.
Xi told the guests that his exchanges with Trump had given “new substance” and “new strategic guidance” to the two countries’ relationship. He did not identify the issues on which they had reached an understanding or announce a specific agreement in his toast.
The dinner brought together figures from business, culture and government. At the main table with Trump and first lady Melania Trump, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, the White House press pool observed Apple CEO Tim Cook; Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and his wife, Lori; Elon Musk; and AMD CEO Lisa Su. The pool reported 134 guests.
Trump presented Xi with a statue of a bald eagle, drawing applause. Calling the eagle a national symbol of the United States, Trump said he hoped the gift would find “a nice place, a wonderful place in Beijing.”
In his toast, Trump acknowledged the differences between the two countries’ political systems while emphasizing their long history of contact.
“As the leaders of our two nations, President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure, and we’ve never gotten along better,” he said.
Trump said exchanges of goods, knowledge, customs and ideas had formed “the foundation of commerce and mutual respect between our countries.” He added that the two sides could build a relationship that “promotes prosperity and security for future generations.”
Xi, speaking through a translation, said Trump’s visit to China in May and his own visit to Washington had brought reciprocal state visits within less than six months. He thanked Trump and the first lady for their hospitality and said their arrangements had made him and his wife feel at home.
Xi cast the countries’ national ambitions as compatible. “These two goals are both ambitious and can surely be mutually reinforcing,” he said, referring to Trump’s pledge to make America great again and China’s pursuit of what Xi called “great national rejuvenation.”
“China and the United States must act as responsible major countries, meet the expectations of our peoples, keep pace with the trend of our times, and explore a new approach for major countries to get along with each other,” Xi said.
The evening also included an unscripted invitation from Trump. He told guests they could look behind a curtain at the new White House ballroom, which he said was about a year from completion, after the entertainment.
In recounting the countries’ shared history, Xi pointed to Chinese and American cooperation against Japan during World War II. He also cited the ping-pong diplomacy that preceded the normalization of relations, describing people-to-people exchanges as a source of support for friendship and cooperation.
Xi closed by urging the two countries to “write a new chapter in our friendly relations.” Trump raised his glass to the two presidents’ guests and to a future of “harmony, peace, and success” for their peoples. Neither leader laid out details of how the understandings Xi mentioned would be carried forward.
(IANS)
