President Donald Trump visits China!
President Trump arrived at the Great Hall of the People to meet Xi Jinping, the Chinese President.
Beijing, May 14 (EFE).-
Chinese President Xi Jinping opened his first meeting in Beijing with United States President Donald Trump by urging Washington to “be partners, not rivals,” while the American leader said the two powers would have a “fantastic future together.”
“We should be partners, not rivals; achieve success together, pursue shared prosperity, and forge the right path for relations between major powers in this new era,” Xi said after welcoming Trump and his Cabinet with military honors at the Great Hall of the People and launching the first round of talks between the two delegations.
In his opening remarks, Xi stressed that “the common interests of China and the United States outweigh their differences,” as the meeting got underway at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Xi also congratulated Trump on the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, to be celebrated this year, and noted that the visit marked Trump’s first trip to the city in nine years, since their 2017 summit.
Trump, who reviewed the honor guard alongside Xi on the steps of the Great Hall of the People facing Tiananmen Square, called the ceremony “an honor rarely seen,” and highlighted a group of children who jumped and waved the two countries’ flags before the leaders. “The children were spectacular,” he said.
The U.S. president, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue, described Xi as “a great leader” and said he was honored to be his “friend.”
“We have a fantastic relationship. We get along well. When we’ve had difficulties, we’ve resolved them. You call me; I call you. And when we had a problem, we solved it very quickly. That’s why we’re going to have a fantastic future together,” Trump said.
With characteristic flourish, Trump predicted the meeting would likely be “the greatest summit in history,” and underscored the significance of traveling with leading U.S. business executives, including Tim Cook, Elon Musk, and Jensen Huang, who attended the welcoming ceremony as part of the U.S. delegation.
Trump arrived at the Great Hall of the People at 10:01 a.m. local time (0201 GMT). The two leaders shook hands for several seconds in a prolonged but restrained greeting before meeting their respective delegations.
After cannon salutes and military honors, Trump and Xi exchanged brief words at the foot of the Great Hall, as the Chinese leader appeared to point out key landmarks around Tiananmen Square.
Trump traveled with much of his Cabinet, including Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Chinese delegation included Cai Qi, a member of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee of the ruling Communist Party of China, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. EFE jmr-aa/lds
