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Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday that China's development and revitalization goes hand in hand with U.S. President Donald Trump's vision to "Make America Great Again."
He made the remarks during a meeting with Trump after landing in Busan for the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju, and a state visit to South Korea, Xinhua news agency reported.
Both leaders offered warm remarks at the start of the talks – their first face-to-face in six years – at an airbase in the coastal city of Busan, near to where an international summit is taking place.
Trump praised Xi as the “great leader of a great country” and said he thought the two “were going to have a fantastic relationship for a long period of time,” while the Chinese leader said it was a “great pleasure” to see Trump after many years, according to CNN.
A meeting between US and Chinese trade negotiators over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ended with both sides appearing optimistic that Trump and Xi could agree to a framework on navigating their ties going forward.
Xi said the two countries are fully able to help each other succeed and prosper together.
"China and the United States should be partners and friends. That is what history has taught us and what reality needs," he said.
Xi also said he is ready to continue working with Trump to build a solid foundation for China-U.S. relations and create a sound atmosphere for the development of both countries
A few days ago, in the latest round of consultation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the economic and trade teams of the two countries reached basic consensus on addressing respective major concerns, which provided the necessary conditions for the meeting today, he said.
Given different national conditions, the two sides do not always see eye to eye with each other, and it is normal for the two leading economies of the world to have frictions now and then, Xi said.
"You and I are at the helm of China-U.S. relations," said Xi. "In the face of winds, waves and challenges, we should stay the right course, navigate through the complex landscape, and ensure the steady sailing forward of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations."
The US president indicated the two sides have come to an agreement on “almost everything.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One after concluding a three-stop tour of Asia, Trump said the high-stakes talks between the world’s two top economies had yielded progress on issues such as trade, rare earths and the flow of fentanyl into the US. He also said he plans to visit Beijing in April.