Donald Trump welcomed Chinese premier Xi Jinping to Washington with a lavish state dinner and a display of America's military, hailing the "truly great friendship" he had developed with his communist counterpart. But the visit came as Trump was accused of aping some of China's authoritarian tendencies.
Media access dispute
Writers and photographers for the Chinese communist party's state-run media were welcomed to watch Xi's arrival at the White House, while Trump's media ban left reporters from CNN, Politico and MS Now excluded, despite a court order to let them back in. The White House eventually complied with the judge's ruling blocking the ban, but not until after the arrival.
Meanwhile, China's media representatives were involved in a scrum on the South Lawn as they pushed American reporters out of the way to get a better look at their leader.
Talks on trade, AI and Iran
Little progress was expected on the matters up for discussion during Xi's state visit, his first trip to the US for a decade. The leaders are tackling issues like trade rows, AI and the war in Iran. Trump wants China to use its influence with Iran, while Xi seeks a halt to US arms sales to Taiwan.
With an arms race underway over supremacy in AI, or as Trump has renamed it "Super Intelligence," neither leader is keen to apply regulation and safeguards to tech development. "Super Intelligence (SI) will be a big topic of discussion," Trump wrote on Truth Social before the summit. "But I want to leave it exactly where it is. That is China's position also. Our guardrail is the [Department of Justice]!"
Leaders' remarks
While Trump has many thorny issues to discuss with the president of America's biggest economic rival, he focused on his long relationship with Xi as the two gathered with aides for opening remarks before formal talks. "From the time of my first election in 2016, President Xi and I have forged a friendship, a truly great friendship, actually, built on mutual respect and the vital interests of our people," Trump said.
Xi was more pointed in his remarks, saying Chinese and American interests are "deeply intertwined" and that the "competition should be a healthy one and should be kept within bounds." He reiterated his warning that the US and China must avoid the "Thucydides trap," referring to the idea that when a rising power threatens to displace an established one, the result is often war. Xi offered a similar warning when Trump visited Beijing in May.
"It should be a race of catching up with one another, not a wrestle in which one either wins or loses," Xi added.
Youth exchanges and pandas
Xi also announced that China will invite 100,000 American youth to come to his country for studies and exchanges in the next five years and that China will send two pandas to the zoo in Atlanta. He called the beloved animals an "envoy of friendship" and said they will meet the American people in a "few days."
After the talks, Xi was treated to a lavish state banquet, where attendees dined on Yellow Squash Velouté and Sesame Crusted Sea Bass followed by a Vanilla Cremeux and White House Honey Ice Cream.
