US President Donald Trump praised Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “great leader” and said the United States and China would have “a fantastic future together” as the two leaders opened a high-stakes summit in Beijing on Thursday.
The two presidents are holding a two-day summit focused on issues including the Iran war, trade, technology and Taiwan, although few major breakthroughs are expected.
In his opening remarks before bilateral talks, Trump said it was an “honour” to meet Xi and described him as his “friend.”
“We've gotten along. When there were difficulties, we worked it out. I would call you and you would call me. People don't know, whenever we had a problem we worked it out very quickly,” he said.
“You're a great leader, sometimes people don't like me saying it, but I say it anyway, because it's true...It's an honour to be with you; it's an honour to be your friend... We're going to have a fantastic future together.”
Trump said he had brought the “best [business leaders] in the world” with him to China.
“Only the top people here today to pay respects to you,” he said.
The US delegation includes leading executives such as Jensen Huang and Elon Musk.
Trump said some people had described the meeting as “the biggest summit ever” and added that he was looking forward “very much” to the discussions.
The US president made only a brief reference to past tensions in relations, including trade disputes, US support for Taiwan and concerns over the flow of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl. He did not mention differences over the Iran war.
In his remarks, Xi called for “cooperation” rather than “confrontation” between the world’s two largest economies.
“The whole world is watching our meeting. Currently, a transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe, and the international situation is fluid and turbulent. The world has come to a new crossroads,” Xi said.
Raising broader questions about the future of bilateral ties, Xi said: “Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides trap and create a new paradigm of major country relations? Can we meet global challenges together and provide more stability for the world? Can we, in the interests of the well-being of our two peoples and the future of humanity, build a brighter future together for our bilateral relations?”
“These are the questions vital to history, to the world, and to the people. They are the questions of our times that you and I need to answer as leaders of major countries,” he added.
Xi is also expected to raise Washington’s decision to approve an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.
Stability in US-China relations is seen as the main objective of the summit. Trump is scheduled to leave Beijing on Friday after a final private meeting with Xi.
#Via NDTV