Xi: Trump Talks Add New Substance to China-US Ties

By Staff, Agencies

Chinese President Xi Jinping said he held candid and in-depth talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, with the two sides reaching understandings on several issues that he said added new substance to China-US ties.

Xi said the two countries should act as major powers, meet their peoples’ aspirations and pursue a new path of coexistence while maintaining “no conflict and no confrontation.”

On trade, Xi said economic and trade teams had reached “a new joint arrangement,” calling it positive for both countries and the global economy.

He urged the two sides to expand cooperation while reducing disputes.

The arrangement follows US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s announcement that a trade truce due to expire on November 10 would be extended through January 10.

On artificial intelligence, Xi said China and the US could compete but also cooperate, calling for continued dialogue over AI’s risks and benefits and stressing that the technology “must be kept under human control.”

Xi also raised Taiwan, reiterating Beijing’s position on national reunification and territorial integrity and urging Washington to oppose “Taiwan independence” and handle the issue cautiously.

Trump described Xi’s visit as “great,” called the two leaders good friends and urged their trade teams to continue working toward “an even better deal.”

They also discussed the Middle East, the war in Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, while agreeing to support each other in hosting the APEC and G20 summits.

At a state dinner, Xi said the countries’ ambitions could be “mutually reinforcing,” while Trump said that despite their different systems, ties between their peoples remain strong.

The guest list included leading technology and business figures, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault.

Despite the warmer tone, major differences remain over Taiwan, US technology export controls and rare-earth minerals, with no joint statement expected at the end of the visit.

The summit came as Trump faces domestic pressure over the nearly seven-month US war on Iran, which has contributed to higher energy prices and borrowing costs ahead of November’s midterm elections, while China’s export sector has continued to surge.