US President Donald Trump raises his fist as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday (local time). [AFP=Yonhap]
US President Donald Trump raises his fist as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday (local time). [AFP=Yonhap]

US President Donald Trump said Friday (local time) that Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, will visit the United States on Sept. 24.

Speaking at an executive order signing ceremony at the White House, Trump said, "President Xi is coming on September 24. We look forward to that. He's a great gentleman."

He added that he gets along "very well" with Xi. "We have a very good trade relationship. They're also a competitor, but we have a good relationship," Trump said.

Trump said the two leaders would hold a state dinner and accomplish "great things" together with China. "China has taken advantage of us for a long time. I don't blame them," he said, adding, "As you know, there were not very smart people sitting behind this desk, but we have gotten along very well with China."

The US-China summit will be the first meeting between Trump and Xi since Trump's state visit to Beijing in mid-May, coming roughly four months later.

Meanwhile, Reuters, citing sources, reported that the two countries plan to hold high-level talks on AI safety risks in mid-September, ahead of the summit.

The talks are expected to be led on the US side by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Reuters said. On the Chinese side, the counterpart could be Vice Premier He Lifeng, who has led economic and trade negotiations with the United States, or Ding Xuexiang, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and vice premier who ranks sixth in the Communist Party hierarchy.


bigroot@heraldcorp.com