US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday struck a warm and optimistic tone during their high-stakes meeting at the Great Hall of the People on Thursday, with both leaders stressing cooperation over confrontation despite tensions over trade, technology and regional security.Xi rolled out red carpet and put up a ceremonial military guard of honour for his American counterpart Donald Trump.Follow live updates on Trump's China visitThe meeting marked Trump’s first visit to China during his second stint of presidency and drew global attention as both countries attempted to reset ties between the world’s two largest economies.Opening the talks, Trump praised the reception given to him and the US delegation, calling it “an honour like few have ever seen before.”"Well, President Xi, I want to thank you very much.
First of all, that was an honour like few have ever seen before," Trump said.Trump also praised the Chinese military and said he was deeply impressed by the children who took part in the welcome ceremony."I think I was particularly impressed by those children.
They were happy.
They were beautiful.
The military is obvious.
It couldn't be better.
But those children were amazing, and they represent so much," he said.Xi, in his opening remarks, said the entire world was closely watching the meeting and framed the talks as a defining moment for future global stability."Welcome back to China after 9 years.
The whole world is watching our meeting.
Currently, a transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe, and the international situation is fluid and turbulent.
The world has come to a new crossroads.
Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides trap and create a new paradigm of major country relations?..."Xi also called for stronger cooperation between Beijing and Washington and warned against rivalry between the two powers.He said, "Can we meet global challenges together and provide more stability for the world? Can we, in the interests of the well-being of our two peoples and the future of humanity, build a brighter future together for our bilateral relations? These are the questions vital to history, to the....
