China and US should be ‘partners, not rivals’, Xi Jinping says as he lands in Washington, meets Trump

Xi-Trump meet: Chinese President Xi Jinping said China and the United States should be "partners, not rivals" as he arrived in Washington. He said that the two countries could find the right way to get along in a new era. In written remarks, Xi said the peoples of China and the US had enjoyed long-standing friendly exchanges and that their interests were deeply intertwined.

The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand, Xi said as mentioned in state-run Xinhua.

He noted that both he and US President Donald Trump agreed to build a constructive China-US relationship during Trump’s visit to China in May. This provided strategic guidance to their bilateral ties, he said.

MUST READ | 100-foot red carpet welcome: Trump gives Xi rare tarmac reception; trade talks, AI on agenda

Both the countries should work in the same direction, promote a stable relationship “featuring cooperation as the mainstay, moderate competition, manageable differences, and promises of peace”.

The US and China should find the right way to get along in the new era, he said, adding that the historical logic of peaceful coexistence between China and the US, the goodwill of the friendly exchanges, and the general expectations have not changed.

Xi and Trump would have in-depth exchanges on issues concerning bilateral relations and the world situation. Xi said that he believes the visit to be fruitful.

TRUMP WELCOMES XI

Xi alongside his wife Peng Liyuan were greeted on Wednesday evening local time at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland by Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. Trump welcomed Xi on the tarmac as the US Air Force band marched and the flags of both countries flew, in what was described as the first time since 1962 that a US president had personally welcomed a foreign leader at the base.

DON'T MISS | ‘India has to de-risk from both China and the US’: Sanjaya Baru on the country’s external dependencies

The Chinese delegation includes Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the General Office of the Central Committee, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee.

The visit is Xi's first trip to Washington since 2015. Talks between Xi and Trump are expected to cover trade tariffs, technology, including artificial intelligence, military ties, conflicts in West Asia, the Russia-Ukraine war, the arms race in space, US arms sales to Taiwan, and Beijing's diplomatic and economic support for Tehran.