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US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to a lavish state dinner at the White House on Thursday, as the two leaders held talks on trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and the war in Iran.
The black-tie dinner followed a day of elaborate ceremonies, including a formal welcome, a military review and a flypast. The event brought together senior US officials and prominent technology executives, including Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and OpenAI’s Sam Altman.
The high-profile guest list underscored the importance of technology and AI in US-China relations. Other prominent business figures were also invited, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
As Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcomed Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, protesters gathered outside the White House. Some chanted slogans opposing Xi and calling for freedom for Hong Kong, according to Reuters.
Trump said the two leaders represented different political systems but stressed that ties between the American and Chinese peoples remained strong.
Xi struck a more measured tone, saying China and the United States should act as “responsible major countries” and develop a new approach to managing their relationship. He also called for the two countries to avoid conflict and confrontation.
The Chinese president also stressed that artificial intelligence should remain under human control. Taiwan and the conflict in Iran were among the other sensitive issues discussed during the summit.
Trump presented Xi with a specially made statue of a bald eagle, the US national symbol. The dinner menu included yellow squash velouté, sesame-crusted sea bass and vanilla crémeux served with White House honey ice cream.
After dinner, Trump invited guests to tour the site of the White House’s new ballroom, which is under construction.
Despite the elaborate ceremonies, the summit produced no major breakthroughs on several contentious issues, including trade, AI, Taiwan and Iran. Reuters reported that the two sides extended their trade truce by two months, through January, while broader differences remained.
Earlier in the day, Trump and Xi attended a formal arrival ceremony and reviewed troops in the White House Rose Garden. US military aircraft, including a B-2 bomber, also took part in a flypast.
The two leaders later held talks in the Oval Office, with Trump describing their meeting as “great”.
Xi’s three-day US visit is scheduled to conclude on Friday, when he and Peng are expected to visit the US National Archives with Trump and Melania. The visit comes as the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
