U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met Thursday night at a White House state dinner, exchanging warm remarks and toasting “harmony, peace and success” for both nations. The high‑profile encounter, the first of Xi’s U.S. visits in over a decade, took place amid ongoing disputes over Taiwan, trade and artificial‑intelligence competition.
During the dinner, Xi urged Trump to adopt the “correct position” on the self‑governing island of Taiwan, a claim Beijing says is part of its territory. Earlier in the day, Chinese state media reported that Xi had privately advised Washington to handle Taiwan “with prudence.” The United States, which is legally bound to help Taiwan defend itself, has delayed approval of a $14 billion arms package that Xi warned could lead to “collision or even conflict” if mishandled.
“China and the United States must act as responsible major countries to meet the expectations of our peoples, keep pace with the trend of our times, and explore a new approach for major countries to get along with each other,” Xi said.
The dinner was attended by a mix of senior officials and tech leaders, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chief of Staff Monica Crowley, and Trump’s son‑in‑law Jared Kushner. Prominent CEOs such as Apple’s Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Elon Musk, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Google’s Sundar Pichai, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and billionaire Jeff Yass were seated at the same tables. Protesters gathered just outside the White House gates, shouting slogans and resulting in several arrests.
Trump presented Xi with a sculpture of a bald eagle, saying it embodied “the free and soaring spirit of America,” a gift reportedly co‑designed by First Lady Melania Trump. The menu highlighted “American ingredients with subtle Chinese influence,” featuring yellow squash, wild mushrooms, sesame‑crusted sea bass and a vanilla crémeux dessert made with White House honey. The wine selection, Schramsberg Blanc De Noir, referenced President Nixon’s 1972 “Toast to Peace” with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai.
While the evening showcased diplomatic courtesy and a showcase of U.S. tech power, officials noted that substantive progress on the core issues—Taiwan policy, trade tariffs, and AI governance—remained limited. Both leaders acknowledged shared “in‑depth exchanges” and “common understanding on many issues,” but concrete agreements on the contested topics were not announced.
<small>Source: Yahoo News — read the original story there.</small>