Trump Greets Xi With Praise, Seeks Deals Amid Lingering U.S.-China Tensions
President Donald Trump opened his high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday local time in Beijing by predicting a “fantastic future together” and calling Xi “a great leader,” Trump said.
Xi, speaking through a translator, urged cooperation and warned that both countries “stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation,” according to the translator. He said the nations “have more common interests than differences” and called for a stable bilateral relationship, the translator said.
Trump arrived in Beijing with a delegation of U.S. executives that included Apple CEO Tim Cook, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, White House officials said. Trump told reporters the delegation represented “the greatest businessmen” and said 30 top executives had accepted invitations to join the trip.
White House officials said ahead of the visit they expected Trump to “deliver more good deals,” with talks covering aerospace, agriculture and energy as well as a proposed U.S.-China “Board of Trade” and “Board of Investment.” A senior administration official said the trade framework under discussion could involve “double-digit billion” dollars in commerce and possible purchase commitments from China for aircraft and agricultural products.
The emphasis on dealmaking comes after years of friction over trade, technology and military competition. Administration officials said trade talks are ongoing alongside discussions on Iran, artificial intelligence and other security matters, and cautioned that personal rapport between leaders does not guarantee immediate agreements.
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