Xi calls for stable China-US relations

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on China and the United States to remain partners, not rivals, as he arrived in Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump.

Xi and Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan were received by Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. The welcome included the US Air Force Band and the flags of both countries.

In a written statement after his arrival, Xi greeted the American people and said China and the US are both major countries with closely connected interests. “China and the US should be partners, not rivals,” Xi said, according to state-run Xinhua news agency.

He said the two countries’ development goals could progress alongside each other and called for greater cooperation while managing differences and maintaining measured competition.

Xi said China and the US should work in the same direction to promote a stable relationship, with cooperation playing a central role and disagreements remaining manageable.

The visit marks Xi’s first trip to Washington since 2015. Talks with Trump are expected to address a range of issues, including trade tariffs, technology, artificial intelligence, military ties, Taiwan, the Russia-Ukraine war and conflicts in West Asia.

The two leaders are also expected to discuss broader economic and strategic relations between the world’s two largest economies.

Xi said he looked forward to in-depth discussions with Trump on bilateral relations and international developments. He also expressed support for expanding exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

The Chinese president said that although the international environment is changing, the basis for peaceful coexistence between China and the US remains. He also pointed to longstanding exchanges between the two peoples and international expectations for stable relations between Beijing and Washington.

The airport reception was notable as the first time since 1962 that a US president personally welcomed a foreign leader at the base. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy received British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan there.

Xi said the visit would produce results through efforts by both sides and that stronger cooperation could benefit the people of China and the US while contributing to global peace.

The Chinese delegation includes Cai Qi, a member of the Communist Party of China’s Politburo Standing Committee and director of the party’s General Office, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.