Chinese leader Xi Jinping left the White House Thursday afternoon after concluding his bilateral meeting with President Trump on a wide range of issues.
The two leaders walked outside together and exchanged a few words before Mr. Xi entered his car, which featured American and Chinese flags on the sides of the hood.
“Great meeting, thank you,” Mr. Trump told his Chinese counterpart before walking back inside the West Wing.
The two had a bilateral meeting that appeared to last for a little over an hour. The meeting was closed to the press, but Chinese photographers who were there to document Mr. Xi’s visit were briefly allowed in.
Upon letting the Chinese photographers into the session, Mr. Trump joked that China has the friendliest press corps. Mr. Trump’s quip comes as the administration fights in court to keep Politico, CNN and MS NOW out of the White House.
Mr. Xi will return to the White House Thursday evening for a lavish state dinner, featuring notable guests, including several prominent tech titans.
Earlier Thursday, the two leaders watched military demonstrations performed by the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon and “The Commander’s Own” U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps.
The ceremony concluded with a military flyover featuring a B-52 Spirit and four F-22 Raptors.
Mr. Trump highlighted his relationship with the Chinese president, saying they made several gains during past meetings, including the creation of an entity to manage trade between the two nations and Beijing’s commitment to purchasing U.S. soybeans.
“During this visit, we will also discuss pressing issues concerning security, technology and superintelligence — SI,” Mr. Trump said, using his new moniker for AI. “The decisions we make in these areas today can promote peace and prosperity for decades and decades to come.”
Mr. Trump also hailed new trade progress between the U.S. and China, saying he and Mr. Xi “have made tremendous strides on issues facing our two countries.”
He referenced his trip to Beijing in May, which led to the creation of the Board of Trade, a mechanism to promote the exchange of nonsensitive goods between the U.S. and China.
“Our teams have been working to encourage a more balanced trading relationship, including the new market access for American farmers and ranchers,” Mr. Trump said.
In his remarks, Mr. Xi offered several proposals to boost cooperation between the U.S. and China, including increasing direct flights between the two nations to expand trade, inviting 100,000 young Americans to visit China for cultural exchanges and study over the next five years, and announcing the arrival of two Chinese pandas – Ping Ping and Fu Shuang – at the Atlanta zoo.
Mr. Xi vowed that Beijing “is willing to strengthen cooperation” with U.S. law enforcement to crack down on fentanyl being shipped out of China to America and pledged cooperation on artificial intelligence.
“We 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 and serves the well-being of the people,” he said.
He added, “China and the United States, as two major countries, stand to gain from cooperation and will both lose in competition.”
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