Chinese President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Donald Trump delivered remarks at the White House on Thursday morning at the start of the second day of Xi’s closely watched state visit.
Both leaders spoke warmly of their countries’ ties and pledged deeper cooperation in comments that sought to project an image of stability between the two sides.
Trump said he and Xi would work together to build a “better future for both our countries” while Xi called for the two powers to “coexist in peace” and keep competition “healthy”.
Shortly after the speech, Xi was welcomed with a military flyover consisting of a B-2 Spirit and four F-22 Raptors.
The B-2 – rarely used in such flyovers – is a strategic bomber, one of the most powerful weapons in the American arsenal, built to carry nuclear and conventional loads across continents.
Here are some key takeaways from their speeches.
China’s door ‘always wide open’
Xi urged Washington to treat Chinese firms fairly, while vowing to keep China’s door “always wide open” to American companies. The two sides could lengthen the list of cooperation and shorten the list of problems, he added.
“We do not need to avoid mentioning competition, but our competition should be a healthy one and should be kept within bounds,” Xi said.
The Chinese leader also called for increased direct flights between the two countries to facilitate two-way travel and trade.
Avoiding conflict
Xi said the two countries’ militaries should maintain regular dialogue and improve mechanisms for crisis communication and prevention.
This, he said, could help the two countries overcome the Thucydides’ trap, a theory that a rising power and an established hegemon are destined for war.
“China and the US must hold the bottom line of no conflict and no confrontation,” Xi said.
He also called for strengthened communication in other government departments across foreign affairs, economic matters, financial cooperation and law enforcement.
Artificial intelligence
Both presidents emphasised the importance of their countries working together to manage the risks of artificial intelligence, though Trump referred to it as superintelligence (SI), his new preferred term for the technology.
Xi said China and the US, as “leading nations in AI”, should ensure that AI always remains under human control. The two countries previously agreed in 2024 that humans, not AI, should have control over the use of nuclear weapons.
Progress on bilateral issues
Trump hailed “tremendous strides” on issues before the two countries, including the Board of Trade mechanism established during his May summit with Xi, calling it “unbelievably successful”.
Discussions in Washington would focus on pressing issues concerning security, technology and artificial intelligence, the US president said.
“The decisions we make in these areas today can promote peace and prosperity for decades and decades to come,” he added.
Strengthening people-to-people exchanges
Xi also announced that two giant pandas, named Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, would arrive at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia “in a few days”.
Meanwhile, 100,000 young Americans would be invited for exchange and study in China in the coming five years. China said Xi’s invitation for 50,000 young Americans, extended in his previous visit in 2023, had already been fulfilled.
Alliance during World War II
Both leaders recalled the history of their countries fighting together during World War II against Japan, even though neither named the island country directly.
Trump made reference to the Flying Tigers: American pilots who volunteered to fight in China.
“Look at the greatness that we had together, fighting in World War II,” Trump said, adding that the “brave American pilots” fought for “the very survival of the legendary country”.
Xi said Chinese people had never forgotten that part of history, nor had Americans. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
