Trump and Xi project unity at White House

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping used a lavish White House state dinner to highlight warmer relations between Washington and Beijing, even as major disagreements remain between the two countries.

Trump welcomed Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, to the White House on Thursday before hosting the formal dinner. During his remarks, Trump praised his relationship with the Chinese leader and said the two had “never gotten along better.”

Xi, in his address, called for a new approach to relations between the world’s two major powers. He said the United States and China should act responsibly and work towards a stable and constructive relationship despite their differences.

The Chinese president said his discussions with Trump had been sincere and in-depth. He also highlighted the long history of interaction between the two countries, including cooperation during the Second World War and the period of diplomatic engagement that followed.

Trump presented Xi with a sculpture of a bald eagle, the national bird of the United States. He described the gift as representing the country’s free and soaring spirit and said he hoped it would have a prominent place in Beijing.

The dinner brought together senior US officials and some of the biggest names in American business and technology. Among the guests were Tesla chief Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Artificial intelligence was among the key issues surrounding the leaders’ discussions. Xi said the US and China, as major technology powers, have a responsibility to promote the development of AI for the benefit of society and ensure that the technology remains under human supervision.

Trump has also identified AI as an important area of discussion with Xi. The two countries, however, have different approaches to AI development, technology controls and regulation.

Trade remains another major issue between Washington and Beijing. The leaders have been seeking to stabilise economic relations after years of tariff disputes and restrictions affecting technology and strategic goods. Recent talks have focused on maintaining a trade truce while addressing unresolved economic issues.

Taiwan is another major point of disagreement. Washington and Beijing continue to hold sharply different positions over the island, with the United States maintaining security ties with Taiwan while China regards Taiwan as part of its territory.

The war involving Iran also featured among the broader issues surrounding the summit. Both governments have interests in preventing the wider regional conflict from creating additional instability.

Despite the warm tone of the state dinner, analysts noted that the meeting did not resolve the fundamental disputes between Washington and Beijing. Trade, Taiwan, artificial intelligence and broader geopolitical competition remain sensitive areas in the relationship.

The White House dinner was part of Xi’s September 23-25 state visit to the United States. The visit has been presented by both sides as an opportunity to maintain dialogue, manage differences and explore areas of cooperation.

The White House said the dinner also featured American ingredients combined with Chinese influences, while performances were provided by US military musical groups and tenor Christopher Macchio.