BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for China and the United States to work as partners rather than rivals, stressing cooperation and the need to manage differences ahead of his high-level talks with US President Donald Trump in Washington.
Xi’s remarks were released by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency shortly after he arrived in Washington for the closely watched bilateral meeting with Trump.
“China and the United States should be partners, not rivals,” Xi said, highlighting the long history of exchanges between the people of the two countries and their closely intertwined interests.
Xi said he looked forward to having an in-depth exchange with Trump on China-US relations as well as major issues concerning the international situation.
He called on both countries to move closer, prioritise cooperation, maintain competition within limits and properly manage their differences to build a stable relationship that can provide greater scope for a peaceful future.
Referring to Trump’s political slogan of making America great again, Xi said the goal of the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” and the goal of making America great again could move forward together.
He also said the two major powers should work out an appropriate way for peaceful coexistence.
“We can achieve this. I am confident that through the joint efforts of both sides, this visit will produce fruitful results, benefit the people of our two countries and bring new hope for world peace,” Xi said.
The statement came ahead of the much-anticipated Trump-Xi meeting. After Xi’s arrival in the US capital, the two leaders greeted each other with a handshake during the welcome ceremony.
Trade is expected to feature prominently in the talks, along with technology competition, particularly in artificial intelligence. Beijing’s diplomatic and economic support for Iran is also expected to be among the issues discussed.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of continuing strategic and economic tensions between the world’s two largest economies, with both sides seeking to manage areas of competition while keeping communication channels open.
