U.S. President Donald Trump called the talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping "extremely positive" in a toast at the start of a lavish state banquet and invited Xi to the U.S. later this year. The two leaders will meet again tomorrow, UNN reports citing NBC News.
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The U.S. President delivered his toast before the banquet. He said that today he held "extremely positive and productive conversations and meetings."
He thanked the host of the reception for the "wonderful welcome" and called the evening "another precious opportunity among friends."
Trump thanked Xi for the hospitality extended to the American delegation and invited him to the White House later this year, on September 24.
Trump discussed the war with Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz during the summit with Xi, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News, adding that the United States is not asking for China's help regarding Iran.
U.S. policy toward Taiwan is "unchanged," Secretary of State Marco Rubio also stated in an exclusive interview today following the talks between Trump and Xi.
"Our policy on this has not changed," Rubio said. "It has been quite consistent across many presidential administrations and remains consistent now."
The Chinese leader warned Trump that tensions over Taiwan could jeopardize relations, leading to "clashes and even conflicts" if the issue is not handled carefully, according to Beijing's report on the talks.
Trump revealed the results of bilateral talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping14.05.26, 08:37
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that today's agenda between Trump and Xi Jinping also concerns economic ties.
Speaking on CNBC, Bessent stated that today's agenda in Beijing for Presidents Xi Jinping and Trump includes "economics, results," and business relations.
"We are going to talk about an investment council that will be responsible for investments in non-sensitive areas," Bessent said.
When asked if China would make trillions of dollars in investments in the U.S., Bessent downplayed the possibility, saying: "I'm not sure where that trillion-dollar investment figure came from. It somehow got into the airwaves."
However, Bessent said he expects to see China place a "large order for Boeing," but did not provide specific details.
When asked about the Strait of Hormuz, Bessent did not say whether China agreed to help open it, but, as he has often done recently, said it would be "in their interest." "I think they will do everything they can," he said.
Bessent also stated that the U.S. and China are coordinating on artificial intelligence safety.
"We will develop a protocol on how we move forward with best practices for AI so that non-state actors do not gain access to these models," he said.
"I am very confident that we can have a very good transition to this exciting new technology," Bessent added.
Meanwhile, a comment Trump made during his opening remarks before today's bilateral meeting with Xi has gained popularity on Chinese social media.
"We asked 30 of the top people in the world, every one of them said 'yes,' and I didn't want the second or third in the company. I only wanted the best. And they are here today to pay tribute to you and to China," Trump told Xi.
The remark ranked second in the "Society" section on Weibo and garnered about 3 million views on the Chinese social media platform, which is similar to X.
"They want to cooperate with each other," one user wrote in a comment that received nearly 1,300 reposts and over 900 replies.
In his toast preceding Trump's comments, Chinese leader Xi said that the U.S.-China relationship is the "most important bilateral relationship in the world."
"We must make it work and must never mess it up," he said, adding that the countries should be "partners" rather than "rivals."
The rejuvenation of China and MAGA can go "hand in hand," Xi also stated in the toast.
"Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the 'Make America Great Again' initiative can go hand in hand," he said.
Xi also said that he and Trump have held "several meetings and phone calls" and have kept the relationship between the two countries "generally stable." Xi called Trump's visit "historic."
Lobsters, Peking duck, salmon: what Xi treated Trump to during his visit to China14.05.26, 15:58