Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday (May 14) held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, with both leaders committing to stronger bilateral ties toward what Beijing described as a “constructive strategic and stable relationship.”
Xi said the two countries should avoid falling into the “Thucydides Trap” and instead work toward a new model of major-power relations. “We should be partners, not rivals. We should help each other succeed and prosper together,” he said, stressing the need for cooperation amid growing global uncertainty.
Xi said China remained committed to the “stable, healthy and sustainable” development of ties with Washington and noted that both sides had agreed to establish a new framework for bilateral relations aimed at ensuring cooperation, managing competition and preventing conflict. He described it as a relationship based on “constructive strategic stability,” with an emphasis on peaceful coexistence, manageable differences and long-term cooperation.
On trade, Xi said recent negotiations had produced a “generally balanced and positive outcome,” adding that equal consultation remained the only way to resolve trade frictions. He reaffirmed that China would continue expanding its opening-up policies and welcomed deeper cooperation with American businesses.
On Taiwan, Xi reiterated that the issue remained the “most important” in China-US relations and warned that mishandling it could push bilateral ties into a “very dangerous situation.”
He said support for “Taiwan independence” was incompatible with peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and urged Washington to handle the matter with “utmost caution.”
Trump, who is on a state visit to China from May 13 to 15, praised Xi as a “great leader” and said the United States was willing to strengthen ties. He said both countries could achieve “many great and beneficial things” together and expressed support for expanding economic cooperation between American companies and China.
The two leaders also discussed the situation in the Middle East, the Ukraine crisis and developments on the Korean Peninsula, and agreed to support each other in hosting this year’s APEC Leaders’ Informal Meeting and the G20 Summit.
Before the talks, Xi hosted an official welcoming ceremony for Trump at the East Gate Square of the Great Hall of the People, where the U.S. president received a guard of honour, a 21-gun salute and reviewed troops of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.