Xi attends welcome banquet hosted by Trump

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, attended a welcome banquet hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, at the White House on Thursday evening.

Upon arrival, Xi and his wife were warmly welcomed by Trump and Melania. The two heads of state and their spouses posed for photos and greeted the guests attending the banquet.

The two heads of state each delivered addresses at the welcome banquet.

Xi extended his sincere greetings to Americans from all sectors of society who care about and support the development of China-U.S. relations, and wished everyone a very happy Mid-Autumn Festival - a cherished occasion for family reunion in Chinese tradition.

Xi said in May this year, President Trump paid a successful visit to China. In less than half a year, the Chinese and American presidents have exchanged state visits, making history in the bilateral engagement between the two countries. This visit, with many new consensus points reached, has enriched the connotation of the constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability, and provided new strategic guidance for the development of China-U.S. relations, Xi said.

Over 200 years ago, soon after its independence, the United States turned its eyes to China. The two countries started trading with each other, exchanging goods to meet each other's needs and drawing on their complementary strengths, Xi said.

Over 80 years ago, the Chinese and American people stood shoulder to shoulder in the fight against Japanese militarist aggressors, Xi said, adding such a friendship, forged in blood and fire, will surely live on through the generations.

Over 50 years ago, the Ping-Pong diplomacy between China and the United States reopened the door to bilateral exchanges that had been closed for years. With the political wisdom embodied in "a small ball moving the globe", the older generation of Chinese and American statesmen set in motion the historic process of normalizing relations between the two countries, Xi said.

Over 20 years ago, an American named Ronald Sakolsky gave financial support to Yin Yuzhen, a Chinese desert control worker, for her tree-planting effort, and this story touches the hearts of many Chinese people and stands as a shining example of the friendly exchanges between the two peoples, Xi said.

Noting that today, China-U.S. relations have come to another historical juncture, Xi said President Trump has pledged to make America great again while China is committed to achieving great national rejuvenation, two goals which are both ambitious and can surely be mutually reinforcing.

China and the United States must act as responsible major countries, meet the expectations of the two peoples, keep pace with the trend of the times, and explore a new approach for major countries to get along with each other, Xi said.

Like a river that never stops flowing, history never stands still. The friendship between the two peoples is a worthy cause that holds great promise, Xi said. He called on the two countries to move forward side by side, nurture the beautiful flowers of China-U.S. friendship, and write a new chapter in their friendly relations.

Trump said that during his visit to China in May, he was deeply impressed by the warm and friendly Chinese people. Tonight, people from all walks of life in both countries have gathered to celebrate a friendship that spans thousands of miles and has lasted for over a century, he said.

Noting both the United States and China have long-standing cultures, and the two peoples have had friendly exchanges for many years, Trump said despite differences in their respective systems, the two nations have forged an ever stronger friendship.

Trump expressed his readiness to work with President Xi Jinping to uphold mutual respect, continue fostering bilateral friendship, and secure lasting prosperity and security for future generations.

Xi attends welcome banquet hosted by Trump

Xi attends welcome banquet hosted by Trump

Political figures from several countries have highlighted the global significance of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States, hoping it will bring more stability to a turbulent world.

Xi arrived in the United States on Wednesday to begin a three-day state visit at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump. It comes after Trump paid a state visit to China in May, which marked the first by a U.S. president in nearly nine years.

Former President of Slovenia Danilo Turk said this visit will bring both political and economic stability to the world.

"I was very pleased when I learned about the plan of President Xi to visit the United States precisely at this moment, because this visit at this very moment can have an important stabilizing effect for the world not only in the economic sense, but also in the political sense. China is an example of a responsible great power," he said.

Andrey Sidorov, an associate professor at the Lomonosov Moscow State University, noted the high frequency of interactions between Xi and Trump, saying the high-level engagement is crucial for addressing bilateral issues.

"The two leaders have met many times. Last October, they met in Busan, South Korea. In May of this year, President Trump paid a state visit to China. Now, President Xi is visiting Washington. The whole world is paying attention to their frequent meetings. In my opinion, this is of great importance. Frequent communication and collaboration between the two leaders will help identify and resolve issues in international relations and their bilateral ties," Sidorov said.

Former Prime Minister of France Laurent Fabius hoped that this visit would generate more consensus on bilateral and global issues between the two major countries.

"I hope that China and the United States could reach as much consensus as possible. China and the United States are major countries of great importance to the world. There are too many problems that need to be solved in this world. Therefore, the two countries need to work together. As a French proverb goes, as well as similar sayings in other countries, 'it takes two to tango,'" Fabius said.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, de facto leader of the French political party La France Insoumise, expected the Xi-Trump summit to help restore order to international trade and global relations.

"We hope this meeting will benefit all of humanity. The world today is facing great turbulence and disorder. We must change this situation. China's stance is very rational and very well-organized. There has already been too much chaos in international trade and international relations. That is why this meeting is so important," he said.

Fernand Kartheiser, a member of the European Parliament for Luxembourg, also hoped that this visit would help ease tensions in international relations.

"In the time that we are living today are very difficult. The world is not very stable, and there are a lot of tensions. So, I really welcome the visit by President Xi Jinping to the United States, because it gives us hope for better international relations," Kartheiser said.

Int'l figures, obervers expect Xi's US visit to add more stability to turbulent world