Donald Trump’s long-awaited summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing is underway.

China’s President Xi Jinping greeted US President Donald Trump with a handshake at the Great People’s Palace in Beijing, marking their first meeting since Trump’s arrival in the Chinese capital.

Trump was greeted by senior Chinese officials and hundreds of flag-waving children in an impressive welcoming ceremony.

In his opening remarks, Xi said “the world has reached a new crossroads” and called for the US and China to “be partners, not adversaries”. For his part, Trump spoke of a “fantastic relationship” with the Chinese president, and that he has “great respect” for him and his country.

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During the welcoming ceremony, Trump and Xi stood in the centre of the square while a military band played the US national anthem, followed by the Chinese national anthem.

The two presidents walked on a red carpet, in front of lined-up soldiers, to the sound of ceremonial music.

Beside the red carpet were children holding American and Chinese flags, as well as bouquets of flowers, cheering the two leaders.

The last meeting between the two leaders was in October, on the sidelines of an international summit in South Korea, where they had agreed a trade deal.

See: “The whole world is watching our meeting”

The whole world is watching the meeting.
Xi Jinping, in his opening remarks, noted that the global situation is changing rapidly and the international scene is characterized by uncertainty and turbulence.

“The whole world is watching our meeting. At this moment, transformations are taking place that have not occurred in a century, and the international situation is fluid and turbulent,” the Chinese president said.

Shi raised the question of whether the two countries can avoid the so-called “Thucydides trap”, which refers to the risk of conflict between a rising power and a dominant one.

“The world is at a new crossroads. Can China and the United States overcome Thucydides’ trap and create a new model of relations?”

The Chinese President also stressed the need to work together to address global challenges:

“Can we work together to address global challenges and bring more stability to the world? Can we, for the benefit of the world, our two peoples and humanity, build a brighter future for our bilateral relations?”

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In the end, he called these questions “questions of vital importance for history, the world and peoples,” adding that they are “the questions of our time” that the two leaders are called upon to answer.

Chi urged the two countries to choose cooperation instead of confrontation: “We must act as partners, not adversaries, achieve success for each other, prosper together and formulate a proper way for great powers to coexist in the new era.”

Trump: “Fantastic relationship, I have great respect for Xi”

I have a great respect for Xi, I have a great deal of respect for him.
For his part, Donald Trump expressed warm words for Xi Jinping and the relationship between the two countries.

The US president described their relationship as “fantastic” and said he has “great respect” for the Chinese leader and China, calling Xi a “great leader”.

He also stressed that the US delegation is looking forward to talks on mutual trade.

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“It is an honor to be here,” he said at the start of the meeting.

The meeting agenda

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During their meeting today, they are to discuss technology, trade and the situation in Iran, issues that are at the top of the international agenda.

Under tight security measures, Donald Trump is visiting China, accompanied by top business leaders, as Washington aims to expand US companies’ access to the Chinese market.