Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed his American counterpart Donald Trump in Beijing on Thursday, affirming that the two superpowers should be “partners and not rivals”.
“A stable China-U.S relationship is a boon for the world. Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both. We should be partners and not rivals,” said Xi.
Xi said he was happy to receive Trump for his first visit to China since 2017 as “the world has arrived at a new crossroads.”
The two leaders met at the Great Hall of the People at around 10:00 am (0200 GMT) for a grand reception ahead of the superpower summit to discuss key issues such as Iran, trade, and Taiwan. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other U.S officials accompanied Trump to the visit.
“It’s an honour to be with you. It’s an honour to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before,” said the U.S President.
The presidents will attend a state banquet at the hall in the evening, and Trump is also set to visit the Temple of Heaven, a World Heritage site where China’s monarchs prayed for good harvest.
Key issues on the agenda
Trump expects to have a deep discussion with the Chinese leader on securing business deals on agriculture and aircraft, along with top businessmen in the American delegation. He had earlier posted on social media that he would push Xi to “open up” China to U.S firms “so that these brilliant people can work their magic.”
The Iran war is also bound to be a major point of discussion, particularly since Iran sells most of its U.S-sanctioned oil to China. Despite saying he expected a “long talk” with Xi on the subject, Trump had insisted the U.S didn’t need any help from China when it came to Iran.
However, Rubio had pushed for China to be more involved in convincing Iran to stop military aggression in the Persian Gulf.
He told Fox News in an interview aired on Wednesday, “We hope to convince them to play a more active role in getting Iran to walk away from what they are doing now, and trying to do now in the Persian Gulf.”
The long-standing trade war between both countries is likely to be at the top of the agenda. Trump and Xi are expected to discuss extending the one-year tariff truce that was reached in South Korea in October last year.
Trump also said on Monday that he would discuss the controversial arms deal with Taiwan, despite the U.S previously insisting that Washington will not consult Beijing on its affairs with Taipei.
