Trump calls Xi Jinping a ‘great leader’, seeks ‘fantastic future’ for US-China ties
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US President Donald Trump praised Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “great leader” and spoke of a “fantastic future” for ties between the two countries as the leaders opened a high-stakes summit in Beijing.
Calling it an honour to meet Xi and describe him as a friend, Trump said the two leaders had managed to resolve past difficulties through direct communication.
“We've gotten along. When there were difficulties, we worked it out,” Trump said during opening remarks ahead of bilateral talks.
The summit comes amid tensions over trade, Taiwan, technology, and the ongoing conflict involving Iran, though both sides signalled interest in maintaining stable relations.
Trump said he had brought some of America’s top business leaders to China, including Nvidia chief Jensen Huang and Elon Musk of Tesla.
The US president is expected to focus discussions on trade deals, including Chinese purchases of American agricultural products and passenger aircraft, while also seeking mechanisms to avoid another trade war.
Xi, in his remarks, called for cooperation instead of confrontation between the world’s two largest economies and said global conditions required stable China-US ties.
He said the world was facing major transformation and uncertainty and questioned whether both countries could avoid the “Thucydides trap”, a term used to describe conflict between rising and established powers.
Xi also raised broader questions about whether China and the US could work together to address global challenges and provide stability for the international community.
Taiwan is also expected to feature prominently in the talks. China claims the self-governed island as its territory and has repeatedly opposed US arms sales to Taipei.
Trump approved an $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan in December, though deliveries have not yet begun.
The two-day summit is expected to focus largely on maintaining stability in the relationship rather than achieving major policy breakthroughs.