Xi says China and US should be ‘partners rather than rivals’, kicking off three-day state visit

BEIJING/WASHINGTON – Chinese President Xi Jinping urged cooperation with the United States, Beijing’s state media reported, hours after being greeted in Washington on the evening of Sept 23 US time by President Donald Trump.

“Our two countries should be partners rather than rivals,” Xi said in written remarks published by state news agency Xinhua, adding that “the Chinese and US peoples have enjoyed longstanding friendly exchanges, and our interests are deeply intertwined”.

The comments came ahead of closely watched talks between Trump and Xi, who shook hands on a red carpet after the Chinese leader’s arrival in the US capital.

Thorny discussion topics are expected to include trade, technological competition – particularly in artificial intelligence – and Beijing’s diplomatic and economic support for Tehran.

Xi said that he was looking “forward to in-depth exchanges with President Trump on major issues concerning our bilateral relations and the global situation”, Xinhua reported.

The countries should “work towards each other to foster a stable relationship characterised by cooperation as the mainstay, competition within bounds, manageable differences and peaceful prospects”, Xi said.

And in a nod to Trump’s signature political slogan, he said that “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the goal of making America great again can fully go hand in hand”.

He added that the two sides should “chart a correct path for two major powers” to get along, Xinhua reported.

“I am confident we can achieve this,” said Xi. “I believe that with the joint efforts of both sides, this visit will yield fruitful results, enhance the well-being of our two peoples and bring new hope for world peace.”

He was treated to a rare personal airport welcome by Trump on Sept 23, kicking off a pomp-filled state visit aimed at smoothing superpower tensions on everything from AI to trade to Iran.

Trump and First Lady Melania shook hands with Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan after the Chinese President descended from his plane at Joint Base Andrews, a US military airfield outside Washington.

Trump, wearing a long coat and gloves, and Xi then stood side by side on the tarmac as a military band played national anthems.

A noisy flyover by two B-1 bombers clearly jolted Trump, who grimaced at the roar of jets, while his Chinese guest stood by impassively.

Trump brushed off the fact that Xi had not given him a similar airport welcome when he visited Beijing in May.

“I thought it was a great little meeting, a great greeting, and I think they appreciate it,” Trump told reporters at the White House after welcoming Xi.

The personal airport greeting – a courtesy Trump was notably denied when he visited Beijing in May – begins three days of pageantry that will include another flyover and a state banquet at the White House on Sept 24.

Six F-22 fighter jets and six F-16s were lined up on the tarmac in an apparent display of military might as US officials literally rolled out the red carpet for the Chinese leader.

But expectations of any breakthroughs are low. Analysts say the main aim of the lavish spectacle is to maintain a fragile diplomatic and trade truce between the world’s biggest economies.

Xi was accompanied by his right-hand man Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, among others, according to Chinese state media.

There were no Chinese chief executives in Xi’s delegation, two sources told AFP, despite the fact that top US tech bosses including the leaders of major AI companies are set to attend the Sept 24 White House state banquet.

Xi’s visit will wrap up on the morning of Sept 25 when the two presidential couples have tea at the White House and then visit the National Archives, home to the US Declaration of Independence.

The Iran war will be on the agenda, Trump confirmed on Sept 23, despite having earlier played down reports that Beijing was supplying Tehran with intelligence as the conflict drags on.

“I’ll be talking about that and many other subjects – but it’s all coming along well, including that,” Trump said when an AFP reporter asked if he would bring up Iran.

Trade war truce extended

When the two leaders sit down for their highly anticipated talks on Sept 24, they will be confronting a host of thorny issues led by fears – boosted by warnings from tech CEOs – that artificial intelligence risks wiping out humanity.

But with China and the US racing for AI supremacy there are few expectations of any deal to regulate the rapidly advancing technology.

Preliminary talks on Sept 20 between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng included discussion of creating a communication channel for AI concerns.

There was one success on Sept 23, when after further talks, Bessent announced an extension of a truce in the simmering trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.

The “economic detente” will now extend beyond its Nov 10 deadline to Jan 10, Bessent said.

Jonathan Czin of the Brookings Institution told AFP that expectations were low for any concrete results from the meeting, but “I think there will be some extension of the gentleman’s agreement”.

Analysts said that China had meanwhile begun to look past Trump, whose second term ends in early 2029, and is in many ways playing for time and using the truce to consolidate its position.

Criticism from China hawks

Trump’s five-star welcome for Xi has drawn criticism from China hawks within his own party, especially amid reports that Beijing supplied Iran with intelligence for attacks on US troops.

“Our commander-in-chief should keep in mind that his guest is a brutal, unelected and oppressive dictator,” said Republican Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee.

Trump, however, has played down the need to bring up the allegations of Chinese help for Iran, justifying it on the grounds that both Beijing and Washington spy on each other.

For Trump, Xi’s visit is also a chance to focus on pageantry instead of problems at home, where the Iran war’s effect on fuel prices has sent his approval rating plummeting to historic lows ahead of midterm elections in November.

American presidents very rarely travel to the airport to greet foreign leaders, although Trump welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin off his plane in Alaska in 2025.

The last such welcomes at Andrews – apart from papal visits – are believed to be John F. Kennedy’s welcome for British prime minister Harold Macmillan in 1962, and Dwight D. Eisenhower’s for Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1959. AFP