US President Donald Trump has labelled talks with Chinese president Xi Jinping as “extremely positive and productive” during a state dinner between the two countries on Thursday evening.
President Trump is visiting China in a “historic” and “high stakes” trip to discuss economic issues and trade between the two superpowers, as well as the Iran war, and the contentious issue of Taiwan.
Presidents Trump and Xi met earlier on Thursday before both speaking at the state dinner, as the former labelled the first day of his visit “fantastic” and thanked the Chinese President for “a magnificent welcome like none other.”
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“We had extremely positive and productive conversations and meetings today with the Chinese delegation earlier, and this evening is another cherished opportunity to discuss among friends some of the things that we discussed today,” President Trump said.
The commander-in-chief continued with a list of shared “mutual respect” between the countries, referencing how Benjamin Franklin — a founding father of the US — referenced Chinese philosopher Confucius in his writings.
In quintessential Trump fashion, the President also claimed Chinese people “love basketball and blue jeans” and that Chinese restaurants in the US outnumber “the largest fast food chains in the US all combined.”
“That’s a pretty big statement,” Trump said.
He also invited President Xi to Washington in September as he raised a glass to his counterpart.
Earlier at the banquet, President Xi said the US and China should “be partners rather than rivals” and that the two countries “stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.”
Earlier at the banquet, President Xi said the US and China should “be partners rather than rivals” and that the two countries “stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation”. Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images
“Today, president Trump and I had in-depth exchanges on China-US relations and the international and regional dynamics,” President Xi said,
“We both believe that the China-US relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. We must make it work and never mess it up.”
President Xi also compared his “rejuvenation of the Chinese movement” to Trump’s MAGA campaign, saying the two “go hand in hand.”
