US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have stressed cooperation and closer relations during a meeting at the White House, with both leaders describing their relationship in notably warm terms despite the longstanding tensions between the two countries.
“I am here to expand friendship and cooperation,” Xi said on his arrival. Trump described his relationship with Xi as a “truly great friendship” and said the two sides had made “enormous progress” on the problems confronting their countries. Xi said cooperation between China and the United States could not solve every problem in the world, but added: “Without our cooperation, it would be difficult to solve many of the world’s problems.”
Xi also announced that two pandas would arrive at Atlanta Zoo within days. The loan of pandas by China to selected zoos overseas is known as “panda diplomacy”. China will also invite 100,000 young people from the United States to China over the next five years for exchange and study visits.
Xi said the two countries needed to coexist peacefully and that their competition should be conducted positively and within limits. Trump said he and Xi would discuss security, technology and artificial intelligence. He also said the two countries were working towards a more balanced trading relationship that would provide US farmers with access to new markets.
Xi was welcomed by Trump on Wednesday evening after landing at a military airfield near Washington. The two leaders’ wives, Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, also attended the brief arrival ceremony. During the US national anthem, B1 bombers flew over the guests, with the noise so loud that Trump visibly reacted to it. Trump was also wearing a coat and gloves despite temperatures of about 18 degrees Celsius.
Shortly after Xi landed in Washington, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Fox News that the two countries had agreed to extend their tariff truce for another two months. “We agreed today to extend what is known as the Busan agreement,” Bessent said. Several hours later, however, there had still been no confirmation of the agreement from the Chinese side.
Xi’s visit to the United States will last three days. A state banquet is scheduled for the evening, where both leaders are expected to deliver speeches. Senior figures from the technology industry are also due to attend, including Tesla chief Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google and Alphabet chief Sundar Pichai, and Apple chairman Tim Cook.
The visit is Xi’s first trip to the United States since 2023, when he travelled to California for the APEC economic summit and met Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden. Trump invited Xi to the White House during Xi’s visit to Beijing in mid-May. Trump had previously hosted Xi at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in 2017. Xi’s last state visit to the United States that included a White House reception was in 2015.
