Beijing, China. China’s Xi Jinping opened a two-day summit with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday by citing positive trade negotiations, with talks also expected to cover the Iran war and U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
Summit opens with focus on trade and broader issues
Xi said a stable China–U.S. relationship benefits the world and warned that cooperation helps both sides while confrontation harms both. He also said preparatory economic and trade talks held in South Korea on Wednesday reached an “overall balanced and positive outcome,” according to a readout by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency.
Officials with knowledge of the matter said the latest negotiations aimed to maintain the trade truce struck last October and establish mechanisms to support future trade and investment.
Trump highlights ties and calls for market access
Trump told Xi he regarded him as a strong leader and said the relationship between China and the United States would improve. He made the remarks after Xi hosted him at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People with an honour guard and children waving flowers and U.S. and China flags.
Trump’s visit is his first to China since 2017. The trip comes as his approval ratings have been affected by his entanglement in the Middle East.
Business leaders join delegation
A group of CEOs joined Trump on the trip, including Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Apple’s AAPL.O Tim Cook. Trump said his first request to Xi would be to “open up” China to U.S. industry.
Musk, Huang and Cook attended the opening talks, and Musk told reporters the discussions were “wonderful” as he left the Great Hall.
Schedule includes cultural visit and state events
The White House said Xi and Trump were set to continue their meetings beyond the initial talks, including a visit to the UNESCO heritage site Temple of Heaven and a state banquet on Thursday, followed by tea and lunch together on Friday.
What outcome do you expect from the summit’s trade discussions?