Trump hosts state dinner for Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Thursday evening attended a state dinner held by U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, at the White House.

Xi and Trump delivered remarks respectively after the dinner began.

“President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems but the ties between our people endure,” Trump said at the start of the state dinner. “Together we can continue to build a relationship that promotes prosperity and security for future generations,” The New York Times quoted Trump as saying.

Xi noted that Trump paid a successful visit to China in May, and that the two heads of state exchanged state visits within six months, making history in bilateral engagement, according to Xinhua news agency.

Xi said common understanding on many issues have been reached during his visit this time, adding new substance to the constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability, and providing fresh strategic guidance for bilateral ties.

Xi stressed that over 200 years ago, soon after its independence, the United States turned its eyes to China. The two countries started trading with each other, exchanging goods to meet each other's needs and drawing on their complementary strengths.

Xi noted that bilateral exchanges have helped promote heart-to-heart communication between the two peoples and cemented public support for China-U.S. friendship and cooperation.

Today, China-U.S. relations have come to another historical juncture, Xi said.

Trump's pledge to make America great again and China's commitment to achieving great national rejuvenation are both ambitious goals that can surely be mutually reinforcing, he said.

He said China and the United States must act as responsible major countries, meet the expectations of the two peoples, keep pace with the trend of the times, and explore a new approach for major countries to get along with each other.

The state dinner brought together senior officials, prominent tech billionaires and heads of some of the U.S.'s most recognizable companies.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos were among the corporate elite invited to attend the dinner, according to a guest list released by the White House.

The heavy presence of technology executives, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, came as competition over AI and advanced computer chips loomed over Xi’s visit, according to The Hill.