Trump hosts Xi for tea, says US, China made ‘tremendous strides’

United States (US) President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan to the White House for tea on Friday, when Trump said the US and China had made “tremendous strides” and that the two sides would “be speaking a lot.”
China’s Xi said on Friday that the US-China relationship will be one of strategic stability based on respect, fairness and reciprocity. Speaking through a translator at the White House, Xi added that he and Trump had agreed to add new substance to the US-China relationship, Reuters reported. Trump said the United States and China have made tremendous strides and that the two sides would “be speaking a lot.”
On Thursday, Protesters gathered outside the White House as Trump and his wife Melania welcomed Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan for dinner, chanting slogans including “Xi Jinping is not welcome” and “Free Hong Kong,” AFP reporters witnessed.
Earlier in the day, Trump proclaimed that he and Xi had made “tremendous strides” as he laid on pageantry including a military parade, a flyover and a tour of his new White House helipad. “President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure,” Trump said at the dinner.
But Xi took a more restrained tone, calling for China and the United States to “coexist in peace” even as he laid down Beijing’s red lines on AI, Taiwan and the Iran war. He continued the theme in his dinner remarks, saying: “China and the United States must act as responsible major countries.”

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Trump presented Xi with a gift of a custom-made statue of a bald eagle—the national symbol of the United States. Guests dined on yellow squash veloute, sesame crusted sea bass, and vanilla cremeux with White House honey ice cream.
The 80-year-old US president invited guests to tour the building site of his new $400 million ballroom after the dinner, saying: “In honor of you, you’ll be the first people to step foot on that.”
While business was on the menu at the state dinner, expectations of any major breakthroughs from Xi’s visit are low.
One minor success—the extension of a trade truce by two months until January—was less than the two years that the Chinese had been hoping for.
Later in the Oval, Xi urged Trump to show “prudence” and oppose independence for the flashpoint of Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims.
The Chinese leader—whose country has reportedly shared intelligence with Tehran—also urged Trump to end the Iran war “through negotiation as soon as possible.”

US tech bosses attend, Chinese executives absent

Chinese business executives were notably absent during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington, a stark contrast to the titans of US business turning out for a black-tie dinner at the White House.
Of the 134 names on the guest list for Thursday’s extravagant White House state banquet, only 19 were part of the Chinese delegation leaving experts divided over the motivation behind the obvious imbalance.
“I would say it simply reflects the reality that Xi and China’s priority is not business or trade deals, but to make the visit a success, at least in terms of optics,” Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute said.
“If trade were very high priority, they would have senior business leaders on tow.”
Tech icons Mark Zuckerberg, Open AI’s Sam Altman and Jeff Bezos were also invited, as was Elon Musk.
The Chinese foreign ministry refused to comment when asked by reporters whether a trade delegation would travel with Xi.

Trump warns Xi against aiding Iran

US President Donald Trump made clear during candid talks at the White House with Chinese President Xi Jinping that Chinese help for Iran is unacceptable, US Ambassador to China David Perdue said on Friday.
“We made it very clear to them weeks ago that, you know, any help that they would give Iran, whether it be direct or indirect, whether it be intelligence or parts or military equipment, was totally unacceptable. President Trump made that very clear again yesterday. This is an ongoing drumbeat,” Perdue said in an interview with CNBC.
“These two leaders are beginning to develop a relationship of somewhat trust and also working on the issues. I mean, this was a very candid and open conversation, and every time they talk, I think we see a different level of intimacy about these difficult issues that we’re dealing with.”