Washington: US President Donald Trump is set to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state dinner at the White House on September 24, marking Xi’s first visit to Washington since 2016.
The high-profile visit is expected to provide an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss bilateral ties, trade and other key international issues amid continuing strategic competition between the world’s two largest economies.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he was looking forward to Xi’s visit and described the Chinese leader as a “good person”. He also said the US and China, despite being rivals, maintained strong trade ties.
“We look forward to his visit. He’s a good person. We have a good relationship with President Xi,” Trump said, adding that Washington wanted to “do good things with China”.
Trump also addressed the ongoing conflict involving Iran, backing Vice-President JD Vance’s description of the situation as a military conflict rather than a war. He said the conflict was a “small matter” for the US and indicated that American military operations against Iran were currently intermittent.
Meanwhile, Trump said a new Air Force One aircraft provided by Qatar would undergo renovation work from October. The upgrade could take around 60 days, longer than the one-month timeframe he had indicated earlier.
The visit by Xi comes at a crucial time for US-China relations, with trade and geopolitical tensions continuing to shape ties between Washington and Beijing.
