Xinhua reports Trump looks forward to advancing bilateral ties with Xi; Chinese president calls for cooperation over rivalry in written remarks

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping [Getty Images]
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping [Getty Images]

US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington for a state visit Thursday, hailing him as a "great leader" while Xi called on the two countries to be partners rather than rivals.

Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, arrived in Washington aboard the presidential aircraft, where Trump and first lady Melania Trump greeted them warmly, Yonhap and China's Xinhua news agency reported.

Trump said he was "very pleased to welcome President Xi and Madame Peng to Washington," calling the visit "one that the whole world is watching," according to Xinhua.

"President Xi is a great leader, and this is a great moment," Trump said, adding that he looked forward to an in-depth exchange of views with Xi and to advancing bilateral relations.

Xi, in written remarks, said both China and the United States are great nations and that their peoples are great peoples.

"Both sides should prioritize cooperation, keep competition within proper bounds, and manage differences in a controllable way," Xi said, adding that the two countries should work toward a stable relationship that allows for peace.

Xi also said the two countries should be partners, not rivals, and that realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again are goals that can be pursued in parallel.

He added that when Trump visited China in May, the two sides agreed to build a constructive and strategically stable relationship, setting a strategic direction for the future development of ties.

"The world is developing and the times are changing, but the historical logic that China and the United States must coexist peacefully has not changed," Xi said. The desire of the two peoples for friendly exchanges, and the international community's expectation of the two countries, also remain unchanged, he added.

Xi said he hoped to have an in-depth exchange with Trump on major issues related to bilateral relations as well as global affairs, and to expand the space for exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

Xi's visit comes roughly four months after Trump's trip to China in May, in a reciprocal gesture.


chami@heraldcorp.com