Trump China visit LIVE: US president, Xi Jinping continue US-China summit with discussions on Iran, trade and Taiwan

Beijing: Welcomed to Beijing with a red carpet ceremony of military pageantry and pomp on Thursday, US President Donald Trump was effusive with praise for his Chinese counterpart and “great leader” Xi Jinping, who used the first talks of their two-day summit to send a warning about Taiwan.

The world’s two most powerful men, keenly attuned to the optics of this high-stakes visit, projected an image of friendly rapport but had contrasting messages, before closing the doors at the Great Hall of the People to discuss the deep tensions that underpin the US-China relationship.

More restrained than his American rival, Xi said the two countries stood to benefit from co-operation and should be “partners and not rivals”, adding that “when we confront each other, both sides suffer”, in brief remarks that were open to the media.

But behind closed doors, he delivered a warning to Trump over Taiwan, which he described as the “most important issue” shaping the future of China-US ties.

Read more here.

Beijing: US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet again on Friday to wrap up the two-day state visit.

The two leaders are scheduled to have tea and lunch before Trump flies back to the US.

The summit has been aimed at maintaining a fragile trade truce struck when the leaders last met in October and Trump suspended triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods and Xi backed away from choking global supplies of vital rare earths.

Trump has also been expected to urge China to convince Iran to make a deal with Washington to end a war unpopular with American voters.

But he has travelled to Beijing with a weakened hand after US courts limited his ability to levy tariffs at will and as price rises driven by the Iran war have made him politically vulnerable at home.

Reuters

Here’s a recap of what happened yesterday:

• Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a state banquet in Beijing on Thursday night to wrap up the first day of their landmark summit.
• The day began with a lavish welcome ceremony at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, featuring a military guard of honour and a crowd of cheering schoolchildren.
• During the closed-door meeting that followed, Xi reportedly warned that the issue of Taiwan could push relations between the two powers into “a very dangerous place”, with the potential for “collision or clashes”.
• The two presidents agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must be open for the free flow of energy, according to a White House readout of the meeting, which did not mention Taiwan.
• Other topics on the table include technology and trade, on which Xi said the sides were making progress in talks towards a “positive outcome”.
• A high-powered delegation of American business leaders is accompanying Trump to China, including Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Jensen Huang, Larry Fink, David Solomon and Kelly Ortberg.
• Thursday’s meeting lasted two hours – much longer than expected. Afterwards, Xi accompanied Trump for a tour of the city’s ancient Confucian Temple of Heaven.
• Xi will host Trump for another round of talks at Zhongnanhai, the Chinese leadership compound, on Friday morning before the US president departs later that day.