Trump welcomes Xi months after Beijing talks on trade, Iran

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United States President Donald Trump on Thursday welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House as the leaders began a state visit featuring talks on trade, artificial intelligence and other contentious issues between the two countries.

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Trump and First Lady Melania Trump received Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, during a state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.

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The White House had earlier announced that the ceremony would feature military honours, remarks by Trump and Xi, and a military review in the Rose Garden.

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China’s state-run Xinhua also reported that Xi attended a welcome ceremony held by Trump at the White House on Thursday morning.

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The ceremony followed Trump’s personal welcome for Xi at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, a departure from the usual practice of receiving visiting foreign leaders at the White House. Reuters reported that it was a rare protocol move for a US president.

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According to Reuters, the two leaders are expected to discuss issues including artificial intelligence, trade, Taiwan and the war in Iran during their talks.

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The news agency reported that Xi’s visit is his first to Washington in more than a decade and the second meeting between the two leaders this year.

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Trump had earlier described his relationship with Xi as a “truly great friendship,” according to reporting from the White House meeting.

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Xi, meanwhile, called for stronger communication between Washington and Beijing and said the two countries should avoid conflict and confrontation, according to reports from the meeting.

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The state visit will also include a state dinner hosted by Trump and the first lady at the White House on Thursday evening. The White House said the dinner will be attended by members of the official delegations, business leaders and government officials.

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According to PUNCH Online, the White House visit comes amid efforts by Washington and Beijing to maintain a trade truce, with the two sides also facing differences over technology, rare earths and China’s economic and diplomatic support for Iran.

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Trump’s meeting with Xi is the latest in a series of face-to-face engagements between the two leaders this year.

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PUNCH Online had reported in May that Trump travelled to Beijing for talks with Xi, with Iran, trade and Taiwan among the major issues confronting the two countries. The report also said the leaders were expected to discuss China’s controls on rare earth exports, artificial intelligence rivalry and the countries’ trade relationships. https://punchng.com/photos-trump-meets-xi-at-beijing-summit-as-trade-iran-tensions-others-rise/

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During that visit, Trump said he had made “fantastic trade deals” with Xi and that the two countries had settled “a lot of different problems,” although PUNCH Online reported that details of the agreements remained limited at the time.

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For Thursday’s talks, trade remains a major issue. The United States and China recently extended their trade truce by two months, while officials from both countries have also been discussing artificial intelligence and mechanisms for addressing AI-related threats.

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Xi said after arriving in the United States that China and the US should be “partners rather than rivals” and that he looked forward to discussions with Trump on bilateral relations and the global situation.

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All images from BBC…

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