U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday called Chinese President Xi Jinping a "great leader" as the two heads of state held talks in Beijing.
Speaking in his opening remarks during the talks at the Great Hall of the People, Trump said he has "such respect for China" and the job Xi has done.
"You're a great leader. I say it to everybody," Trump told Xi.
Trump also highlighted the high-level U.S. business delegation accompanying him, describing their presence as a gesture of respect towards China and its leader.
"They look forward to trade and doing business," Trump said.
"It's an honor to be your friend and the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before," said the U.S. president.
At the invitation of Xi, Trump is on a state visit to China from Wednesday to Friday. This is the first U.S. presidential visit to China in almost nine years, after President Xi previously hosted Trump in Beijing in November 2017.
Prior to the talks, Xi held a welcome ceremony for Trump outside the Great Hall of the People.
Trump calls Xi "great leader"
Heavy rains prompted several regions across China to activate emergency responses on Sunday, with warnings of possible disasters caused by days of intense rains in some areas.
The meteorological service of Nanning City, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, issued an orange lightning warning on Sunday morning.
It warned that most urban areas of Nanning will be affected by thunderstorm and some parts of the city will see heavy precipitation and strong winds.
The lightning warning was followed by another yellow warning for rainstorm, with most parts of Nanning to see heavy rains of 20 to 40 millimeters.
In some areas, precipitation will exceed 50 millimeters and will also be accompanied by thunder and gusty winds.
The central province of Hubei activated a Level III emergency response for major meteorological disasters on Sunday morning.
Local meteorological service estimated that from Sunday night to Tuesday, the province will see heavy to torrential rains and some regions will experience downpours accompanied by severe convective weather.
Local authorities said the public should stay alert to secondary disasters triggered by persistent heavy rains.
Rains hit north China's Tianjin Municipality on Saturday night.
The rainfall intensified significantly on Sunday morning and the rainy weather is projected to last until Monday.
Heavy rains prompt emergency responses in several regions
