US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, have agreed that Iran can “never” have nuclear weapons and on the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to hydrocarbon traffic without charging for rights of passage, according to a statement on the content of the first meeting of the bilateral summit in Beijing released by the White House.
“Both sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to sustain the free flow of energy. President Xi made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any efforts to charge a toll for its use,” the statement said.
According to the White House, at the meeting in the Great Hall of the People, Xi “expressed interest” in acquiring more American crude oil to reduce China’s dependence on oil from the Persian Gulf.
Likewise, the brief statement ensures that “both countries agree that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”
Both countries are committed to increasing economic cooperation and “expanding access to the Chinese market for American companies and increasing Chinese investment in our industry,” the White House said.
Leaders of American companies joined the meeting
Trump’s team confirmed that the working meeting between Xi and Trump, which included the senior staff of both government cabinets, was joined for part by the leaders of some of the main American companies.
However, it was the CEOs of Apple (Tim Cook), Nvidia (Jensen Huang) and Tesla (Elon Musk), who played a central role in Trump’s entourage, since they attended the welcome ceremony with military honors on the steps of the Great Hall of the People from the beginning.
Trump asked Xi to continue working to stem the flow of fentanyl precursors ending up in the United States and asked Beijing to increase purchases of American agricultural products.
The working meeting on this first day of Trump’s visit to Beijing lasted just over two hours and did not end with any major announcements or agreements pending the closing of a summit tomorrow that Trump has said will be “the most important in history.”
Trump praises Xi: “He is a great leader”
US President Donald Trump expressed confidence in the bright future of US-China relations during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday.
In his opening remarks, Trump said: “We have known each other for a long time; in fact, it is the longest relationship between two presidents of our countries, and to me, that is an honor.”
Trump has insisted that there is “a fantastic relationship” between the two and that when a problem has arisen “we solve it quickly” so he predicts that “a fantastic future awaits them together.” T
The American president has expressed the great respect he has for China and for the work that Xi has done and added “you are a great leader. I would tell everyone: you are a great leader.”
The US and China “can and should be friends”
For his part, the Chinese Prime Minister, Li Qiang, stated before the delegation of American businessmen that China and the United States “can and must remain friends and partners”, after the meeting held by Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in Beijing.
Li has assured that, in an international context of “uncertainty” and “instability”, the maintenance of a “frank and fluid” dialogue between both powers has strategic importance for the two countries and contributes “positive energy and certainty” to global development, after the executives met with Xi.
Before the start of the meeting between the head of the Chinese government and businessmen, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told the media present that it has been an “incredible opportunity” to represent the United States at what he described as “one of the most important summits in human history.”
Invitation with a specific date to the White House
After this meeting, a banquet was held in which the American president, Donald Trump, invited his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and his wife, Peng Liyuan, to visit the White House on September 24.
The invitation, made by Trump during his speech to Xi, sets for the first time a specific date for a future visit by the Chinese president to Washington.
In his speech, the Republican leader once again praised the relationship between the United States and China as “one of the most important in history” and defined it as “very special”, while toasting the “prosperity” of both countries and a “bright” future for bilateral ties.
At the opening of said honorary banquet to his American counterpart, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured that the aspirations of Chinese “great rejuvenation” are compatible with those of “making America great again”, as the “Make America Great Again” movement is known.
