Trump hails “great friendship” with Xi as US-China talks begin

US President Donald Trump hailed his “truly great friendship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday as he welcomed the Chinese leader to the White House for talks covering technology, security and other issues affecting relations between the two countries.

Speaking alongside Xi during the formal welcome ceremony, Trump said he had built a relationship with the Chinese president based on “mutual respect and the vital interests of our two peoples”.

Xi’s visit, which runs from September 23 to 25, is his first state visit to Washington in more than a decade. It is also the second meeting between the two leaders this year as Washington and Beijing seek to manage tensions over trade, technology, Taiwan and Iran.

Trump said the discussions would include what he described as “pressing issues” involving security, technology and what he called “super intelligence”, his term for artificial intelligence.

“The decisions we make in these areas today can promote peace and prosperity for decades and decades to come,” Trump said.

Artificial intelligence has become an increasingly important area of competition between Washington and Beijing, with both countries seeking advances in advanced computing and AI while differing over technology restrictions, access to chips and the management of potential risks.

Xi said the United States and China had a “historic responsibility” to contribute to human development and called for greater communication between the two countries.

The talks are also taking place against the backdrop of an 11-month US-China trade truce. Reuters reported that the two sides are seeking to maintain stability in their economic relationship, although major breakthroughs are not expected to dominate the summit.

Beyond trade and technology, Taiwan and the war involving Iran are among the broader geopolitical issues surrounding the meeting. China and the United States have maintained sharply different positions on Taiwan, while Beijing's economic relationship with Iran has become another point of tension with Washington.

The summit is the latest effort by the leaders of the world's two largest economies to keep direct communication open while managing disputes across trade, technology and foreign policy.