DONALD Trump and Xi Jinping shook hands and smiled as the two most powerful world leaders kicked off the “biggest summit ever” in Beijing.
An initial round of crunch talks lasted over two hours and saw the pair discuss extending their current tariff truce and Taiwan’s sovereignty as Xi declared the two superpowers are “partners not rivals”.
Sign up for The Jattvibe newsletter
Thank you!
Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with US President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Credit: AP
Trump was greeted to a Chinese military parade Credit: EPA
The Chinese president said the two nations should “help each other succeed and prosper together” with 2026 set to be a “historic, landmark year” for both.
The two global powerhouses met for the first time on Trump’s three-day visit to China at the Great Hall in the capital.
Trump walked down a red carpet surrounded by proud children chanting “welcome!” and the Chinese military marching in unison.
Both men shook hands as they exchanged a few friendly words before greeting each other’s VIPs – including Elon Musk.
After the customary photo shoots of the two men, their teams headed inside for key diplomatic talks.
Inside the Great Hall, each side had nearly a dozen top officials sat on their left and right for the high-stakes sit down.
Xi took the lead as his opening comments saw him announce: “It is a pleasure to meet you in Beijing.”
He added: “China and the United States both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.
“We should be partners, not rivals.”
Trump responded warmly as he described his welcome to Beijing as an “honour like few have ever seen before”.
“You and I have known each other now for a long time… We’ve had a fantastic relationship. We’ve gotten along,” Trump continued.
“When there were difficulties, we worked it out.”
