‘Whole world is watching’: Xi Jinping warns against rivalry as Donald Trump praises China

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, May 14 welcomed Donald Trump to Beijing for high-stakes talks, saying “the whole world is watching” the meeting between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies, while the war in West Asia is contained by a fragile ceasefire.Trump, meanwhile, downplayed tensions between Beijing and Washington and went on to praise Xi’s leadership.

Speaking at the Great Hall of the People, Xi said the world stands at “a new crossroads” and that the meeting could be a defining moment for the future of US-China ties and global stability.
He was flanked by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to his left and CPC Central Committee Secretariat to his right. Trump, had US ambassador to China David Perdue to his right and Secretary of the State Marco Rubio to his left.”…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?” Xi said.

“These are the questions of our times that you and I need to answer as leaders of major countries,” Xi emphasised, in remarks that appeared to take aim at the Trump administration for triggering the war in West Asia for over two months and failing to bring it to an end.

Xi added that both countries should work together to tackle global challenges and “provide more stability for the world,” while stressing that cooperation — not confrontation — would benefit both sides.

“We should be partners, not rivals,” Xi said. “China and the United States both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.”

The Chinese president also said he believed the two countries shared “more common interests than differences” and called for building “a brighter future” for bilateral ties.

“When we have problems, people don’t know, we get over it very quickly,” Trump said during talks with Xi and senior Chinese officials.

The US president also praised Xi’s leadership, saying, “I have such respect for China and the job you’ve done. You’re a great leader. Everybody says you’re a great leader.”

Besides the West Asia war triggered by US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, the meeting also comes amid heightened scrutiny over trade tensions, technology restrictions, and Taiwan, among other things.

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