Web Desk(National Times)- United States President Donald Trump hailed his \u201cgreat friendship\u201d with Xi Jinping on Thursday as he gave the Chinese leader a lavish welcome to the White House for a historic state visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPresident Xi and I have forged a friendship \u2014 a truly great friendship, actually \u2014 built on mutual respect and the vital interests of our people,\u201d Trump said as he and Xi delivered remarks in the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump said he would discuss \u201cpressing issues\u201d, including artificial intelligence (AI), in talks with Xi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDuring this visit, we will also discuss pressing issues concerning security, technology, and super intelligence \u2014 SI. The decisions we make in these areas today can promote peace and prosperity for decades and decades to come,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his remarks, Xi said that Washington and Beijing have a responsibility to \u201cdevelop and manage AI for good\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have both the capability and responsibility to develop and manage AI for good and ensure that the development of AI is always under human control,\u201d he said at the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump had personally greeted Xi on the tarmac earlier, the first time in more than six decades that a US president has welcomed a foreign political leader at Joint Base Andrews near Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He will lay on more pomp and ceremony on Thursday, treating his guest to talks in the Oval Office and finally a grand state banquet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The state dinner will feature a host of top US tech and AI company bosses \u2014 although Xi\u2019s delegation includes no chief executive officers (CEOs), sources told AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump confirmed that his stalled Iran war would be discussed, despite earlier playing down reports that claimed that Beijing was giving Tehran intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AI is a key focus due to growing fears that it is out of control and even risks wiping out humanity as China and the US race for supremacy in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taiwan will also be on the cards, with Trump\u2019s words likely to be watched for any sign of diminishing US support for the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The programme includes a military inspection in the Rose Garden \u2014 which Trump recently paved over \u2014 and a gift-giving ceremony involving Trump\u2019s wife Melania and Xi\u2019s wife Peng Liyuan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xi\u2019s visit will wrap up on Friday morning when the two presidential couples have tea at the White House and then visit the National Archives, home to the US Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018A great greeting\u2019
Trump and Melania had met the Chinese presidential couple on a red carpet at Joint Base Andrews, before a military band played the national anthems and US bombers roared overhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI thought it was a great little meeting, a great greeting, and I think they appreciate it,\u201d Trump told reporters, brushing off the fact that Xi had not welcomed him at the airport for his Beijing state visit in May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier, the US president sought to set the agenda by saying that both sides agreed no new controls were needed on fast-evolving AI technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSuper Intelligence (SI) will be a big topic of discussion, but I want to leave it exactly where it is,\u201d Trump said on social media, using his new moniker for artificial intelligence. \u201cThat is China\u2019s position also.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In another post, Trump said 73-year-old Xi looked \u201cstrong, vibrant, and fit\u201d, following recent rumours about the Chinese leader\u2019s health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xi urged cooperation in comments reported by Chinese state media shortly after his arrival, saying that China and the United States should be \u201cpartners rather than rivals\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trade truce
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday announced a two-month extension of a trade truce that was due to expire in November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both sides are keen to avoid plunging back into the trade war sparked by the US president\u2019s sweeping global tariffs last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But while Trump, 80, boasts that he will get results from what he calls his \u201cgreat relationship\u201d with Xi, few breakthroughs are expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, their third meeting since Trump returned to power is aimed at maintaining the broader detente.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xi\u2019s first White House state visit in more than a decade will therefore be more about spectacle than substance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Web Desk(National Times)- United States President Donald Trump hailed his \u201cgreat friendship\u201d with Xi Jinping on Thursday as he gave the Chinese leader a lavish welcome to the White House for a historic state visit. \u201cPresident Xi and I have forged a friendship \u2014 a truly great friendship, actually \u2014 built on mutual respect and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":133734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n