Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump addressed top American business executives and officials in the White House’s East Room on Thursday evening, ahead of a state dinner.
The dinner capped a tightly scheduled day for the two leaders, who delivered speeches in the morning hailing close ties and urging deeper cooperation.
During the day, Xi and Trump held their second face-to-face meeting this year – which Trump called a “great meeting” – touching on issues including Taiwan, the Middle East crisis and the Ukraine war. Trump then gave the Chinese leader a tour of the new White House helipad.
Here’s what happened at the state dinner.
For a round-up of their speeches in the morning, see here.
Who’s at the main table?
Sitting at the main table with the two presidents were all American tech titans whose business prospects are deeply tied to or dependent on the Chinese market.
They include Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su, and Apple board chairman Tim Cook.
Musk, Huang and Cook also attended the state banquet at the Great Hall of the People during Trump’s visit to Beijing in May.
‘New chapter’ in US-China ties
Both leaders used their speeches to play up warm ties between the two countries, with Trump saying that even though the two countries have different systems “the ties between our people endure”.
Xi said the “sincere and in-depth” exchanges with Trump earlier in the day provided “new strategic guidance” for ties.
Describing relations as being at a “new historical juncture”, the Chinese leader said Trump’s “Make America Great Again” was complementary with Beijing’s commitment to realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
“Let us join hands and move forward side by side. Together, let us nurture the beautiful flowers of Sino-US friendship. Together, let us write a new chapter in our friendly relations,” Xi added.
Long history of trade
With the two countries having just agreed to extend their tariff truce by two months amid progress in trade negotiations, both leaders invoked the long history of bilateral trade, which dates back to the founding of the United States.
“Americans and Chinese have always exchanged goods, knowledge, customs, and ideas,” Trump said. “This has been the foundation of commerce and mutual respect between our countries.”
Xi, meanwhile, noted that George Washington, the first US president, personally acquired a large collection of Chinese porcelain as a symbol of that long commercial relationship.
“Over 200 years ago, soon after its independence, the United States turned its eyes to China,” Xi said. “Our two countries started trading with each other, exchanging goods to meet each other’s needs and draw on our complementary strengths.”
Heavyweight guests
Apart from those at the table with Xi and Trump, other prominent US business leaders who attended the state dinner included OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Amazon chairman Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and the CEO of Micron Technology Sanjay Mehrotra.
Also in attendance were JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet, and Pfizer chairman Albert Bourla.
No business executives from the Chinese side attended the dinner.
American menu with Chinese touches
Culinary diplomacy is on the menu for guests of the state dinner: American business leaders and government officials from both countries.
Guests raised their glasses of blanc de noir from California in a toast. The sparkling wine is from the same vineyard that supplied wine for the historic 1972 “Toast to Peace” between then US president Richard Nixon and Chinese premier Zhou Enlai in Beijing.
“The menu showcases American ingredients with subtle Chinese influence, bringing the culinary traditions of both nations together,” the office of American first lady Melania Trump said.
