New York [US], September 26: US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on Thursday on the second day of a high-stakes visit.
The Chinese leader arrived in Washington on Wednesday in his first trip to the US since 2023, with trade tensions and artificial intelligence set to dominate the agenda. The trip got off to an auspicious start as US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a two-month extension to the trade truce between the two superpowers late on Wednesday.
At the White House, Trump and Xi struck a conciliatory tone, emphasizing the need for greater communication and cooperation between the world's two largest economies. Xi invited 100,000 US nationals to study in China, while Beijing is set to continue its panda diplomacy by sending two pandas to a US zoo as a signal of friendship. Trump announced "decisions" would be made on key issues such as "security, technology, and super intelligence," the US president's preferred new term for AI and a crucial arena of competition between the two countries.
"The decisions we make in these areas today can promote peace and prosperity for decades and decades to come," Trump said. According to a written address released by China's official news agency, Xinhua, Xi stated that the US and China should be partners, not rivals.
He said it was a crucial year for relations between the two countries, adding that they should foster stable relations characterized by cooperation, moderate competition, surmountable differences and the prospect of peace. The two leaders were set to hold bilateral talks after the reception at the White House before a state dinner on Thursday evening attended by US tech executives.
Source: Qatar Tribune
