Trump-Xi Summit Day One: China’s Readout and the Two Leaders’ Opening Remarks
The trump-Xi bilateral has wrapped up. It lasted for 2 hours and 15 minutes.
China’s readout
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 14 (Reporters Yang Yijun and Zhu Jichai) — On the morning of May 14, Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with U.S. President Donald Trump, who is paying a state visit to China.
Xi Jinping noted that profound changes unseen in a century are accelerating, while the international landscape is increasingly turbulent and complex. He said the key questions facing China and the United States are: Can the two countries transcend the “Thucydides Trap” and pioneer a new paradigm for major-country relations? Can they work together to address global challenges and bring greater stability to the world? Can they focus on the well-being of their peoples and the future of humanity, and jointly create a better future for bilateral relations? These, Xi said, are questions posed by history, by the world, and by the people — and they are also the defining questions that leaders of major powers must answer together in this era. Xi added that he is willing to work with President Trump to steer the giant ship of China-U.S. relations onto the right course and ensure that 2026 becomes a historic and landmark year that carries forward and opens a new chapter in bilateral relations.
Xi emphasized that China is committed to the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations. He said that he and President Trump had agreed to define the relationship under a new framework of “constructive strategic stability between China and the United States,” which would provide strategic guidance for bilateral relations over the next three years and beyond, and would, he believed, be welcomed by both peoples and the international community. Xi said that “constructive strategic stability” should be a positive form of stability centered on cooperation, a healthy form of stability with managed competition, a normal form of stability with controllable differences, and a durable form of stability in which peace remains achievable. He stressed that “constructive strategic stability” should not remain merely a slogan, but must be translated into concrete actions moving toward each other.
Xi pointed out that the essence of China-U.S. economic and trade relations is mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and that equal-footed consultation is the only correct way to address differences and frictions. He said the two countries’ economic and trade teams had achieved “overall balanced and positive outcomes” the previous day, which he described as good news for both peoples and for the world. Both sides, he said, should work together to preserve the hard-won positive momentum currently emerging in the relationship. Xi added that China’s door to opening-up will only open wider, and that U.S. companies are already deeply participating in China’s reform and opening-up process. China, he said, welcomes stronger mutually beneficial cooperation with American businesses.
Xi further stated that both sides should implement the important consensus already reached and make better use of political, diplomatic, and military-to-military communication channels, while expanding exchanges and cooperation in areas including trade, public health, agriculture, tourism, people-to-people exchanges, and law enforcement.
Xi stressed that the Taiwan issue remains the most important issue in China-U.S. relations. If handled properly, he said, bilateral ties can maintain overall stability; if mishandled, the two countries could face confrontation or even conflict, pushing the entire relationship into a highly dangerous situation. “Taiwan independence” and peace across the Taiwan Strait are fundamentally incompatible, Xi said, adding that maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait represents the greatest common interest shared by both China and the United States. He urged the U.S. side to handle Taiwan-related issues with the utmost prudence.
Trump said he was deeply honored to pay a state visit to China. U.S.-China relations, he said, are in a good state, and he and President Xi have established “the longest-lasting and best relationship ever between leaders of the United States and China.” He said the two sides have maintained friendly communication and resolved many important issues together. Trump described Xi as “a great leader” and China as “a great country,” adding that he has tremendous respect for Xi and for the Chinese people. He said today’s meeting was “a globally significant summit meeting.” Trump said he is willing to work together with Xi to strengthen communication and cooperation, properly manage differences, open the door to “the best U.S.-China relationship in history,” and create a brighter future for both countries. He added that the United States and China are the world’s most important and most powerful countries, and that cooperation between them can accomplish many major and positive things for both nations and for the world. Trump also noted that he had brought with him a distinguished delegation of American business leaders, all of whom deeply respect and value China, and whom he actively encourages to expand cooperation with China.
The two heads of state also exchanged views on major international and regional issues, including the situation in the Middle East, the Ukraine crisis, and the Korean Peninsula.
The two leaders agreed to support each other in hosting this year’s informal APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and the G20 Summit.
During the talks, Trump introduced the accompanying business executives to Xi one by one.
Before the talks, Xi held a welcoming ceremony for Trump at the East Gate Plaza outside the Great Hall of the People. Upon Trump’s arrival, an honor guard lined up in salute. The two heads of state stepped onto the reviewing stand as the military band played the national anthems of China and the United States, while a 21-gun salute was fired at Tiananmen Square. Accompanied by Xi, Trump reviewed the honor guard of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and watched the ceremonial march-past.
Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and He Lifeng attended the talks.
Xi Jinping Meets with American Business Leaders Accompanying U.S. President Donald Trump on His Visit to China
During talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting U.S. President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the morning of May 14, Xi also met with the American business leaders accompanying Trump on his state visit to China.
Trump said that he had brought with him a distinguished group of representatives from the American business community, all of whom respect and value China, and that he encourages them to expand cooperation with China. Trump then introduced the accompanying executives to Xi one by one.
The American business leaders said they attach great importance to the Chinese market, hope to deepen their presence in China, and seek to strengthen cooperation with Chinese partners.
Xi stated that American companies have been deeply involved in China’s reform and opening-up process, and that both sides have benefited from this engagement. China’s door to opening-up, he said, will only continue to open wider. China welcomes stronger mutually beneficial cooperation with the United States and believes American companies will enjoy even broader prospects in the Chinese market.
Xi Jinping and Donald Trump Visit the Temple of Heaven Together
On May 14, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the Temple of Heaven together with visiting U.S. President Donald Trump, who is paying a state visit to China.
Xi welcomed Trump at the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. The two heads of state posed for a group photo in the square outside the hall and toured the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests together.
President Xi’s welcoming remarks
I’ll say a few words first and then I'd like to invite you, Mr. President, to deliver your opening remarks.
President Trump, I'm very pleased to meet you in Beijing. Welcome back to China after nine years. The whole world is watching our meeting. Currently, transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe and the international situation is fluid and turbulent. The world has come to a new crossroads. Can China and the United States overcome the fusidities trap? and create a new paradigm of major country relations. Can we meet global challenges together and provide more stability for the world? Can we in the interests of the well‑being of our two peoples and the future of humanity build a brighter future together for our bilateral relations? These are the questions vital to history, to the world, and to the people. They are the questions of our times that you and I need to answer as leaders of major countries.
This year is the 250th anniversary of American independence. Congratulations to you and to the American people. I always believe that our two countries have more common interests than differences. Success in one is an opportunity for the other. And a stable bilateral relationship is good for the world. China and the United States both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. We should be partners, not rivals. We should help each other succeed and prosper together and find the right way for major countries to get along well with each other in the new era.
Mr. President, I look forward to our discussions on major issues important to our two countries and the world and working together with you to set the course for and steer the giant ship of China US relations so as to make 2026 a historic landmark year that opens up a new chapter in China US relations. I will pause here and hand over to you Mr. President.
Thank you.
President Trump’s opening remarks
Well, President Xi, I wanna thank you very much. Yeah, first of all, that was another one like few have ever seen before. And I think I was particularly impressed by those children. They were happy, that were beautiful. The military is obvious. It couldn’t be better.
But those children were amazing, and they represent so much. And I know they represent so much to you, and I have known each other now for a long time. In fact, the longest relationship of our two countries that any president and president has had. And it’s to me, an honor.
We’ve had a fantastic relationship. We’ve gotten along. When there were difficulties, we worked it out. I would call you, and you would call me. And whenever we had a problem, people didn’t know; whenever we had a problem, we worked very quickly. And we’re going to have a fantastic future together.
I respect China for the job you’ve done. You’re a great leader. I say it to everybody. You’re a great leader. Sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway because it’s true. I only say the truth. And I just wanna say on behalf of all of the great delegation that we have, the greatest businessman, the biggest, I guess, the best in the world. We have amazing people, and they’re all with me. They, every single one of them. And we ask the top 30 in the world, every single one of them said yes. And I didn’t want the second or the third in the company. I wanted only the top. And they’re here today to pay respects to you, to China, and they look forward to trade and doing business. And it’s going to be totally receptive on our behalf.
So I really look very much forward to our discussions, a big discussion. There are those who say this is maybe the biggest summit ever. They can never remember anything like it. It’s, I can say in the United States, it’s, people aren’t talking about anything else. But it’s an honour to be with you. It’s an honour to be your friend. And the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before. Thank you very much. Thank you.