On Thursday, May 14, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Donald Trump with great pomp in Beijing before diving into topics of disagreement ranging from trade to Iran and Taiwan.
President Donald Trump promised his counterpart Xi Jinping a “fabulous future” between the United States and China at the beginning of a summit between the two powers marked by multiple disagreements and global tensions.
“It is an honor to be here. It is an honor to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the United States will be better than ever,” said Donald Trump. “We will have a fabulous future together,” he added.
China wanted to welcome Donald Trump in style for the first visit by a US president since Trump’s own visit in 2017.
Xi Jinping hosted a banquet in his honor on Thursday evening. On Friday, he will share breakfast and lunch with him. Despite these gestures of attention towards an invitee known for his love of luxury and who postponed this trip originally planned for the end of March due to the war in Iran, the numerous points of tension awaiting the two presidents in their scheduled closed-door discussions after the welcoming ceremony will not disappear.
The future of trade between the two largest world economies appears to be one of the topics of the summit, prepared on Wednesday by commercial and economic talks between American and Chinese delegations in South Korea.
“It’s going to be great,” Donald Trump assured before leaving the United States. He had claimed in mid-April that Xi Jinping, who is not very inclined to public displays of affection, would give him a “big hug” in Beijing. On Tuesday, he reiterated promises for his trip and emphasized the quality of his personal relationship with his counterpart, a “friend of mine.”
At the top of Washington’s wish list are agreements in the agriculture sector and potentially the confirmation of a massive order for Boeing aircraft.
