Xi sets red lines for Trump despite lavish White House welcome

Xi sets red lines for Trump despite lavish White House welcome.

Key points

• A formal welcome on the White House South Lawn introduced Thursday's events, before Trump and Xi inspected a military parade on the newly paved-over Rose Garden.
• His comment came days after he barred outlets CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House – although they returned on Thursday after a court order.
• According to The 80-year-old Trump, the pair would "discuss pressing issues concerning security, technology, and super intelligence – SI, " his name for artificial intelligence.
• But afterwards as they met in the Oval Office, Xi called on Trump to show "prudence" and oppose independence for the flashpoint of Taiwan.
• As the pair ignored questions on subjects including Iran, Taiwan, fentanyl trafficking and jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai, "We had a great meeting, " Trump remarked.

Xi sets red lines for Trump despite lavish White House welcome. AFPReuters Published September 24, 2026 Updated September 25, 2026 12: 28am. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

As the US president provided his Chinese counterpart a lavish welcome to the White House, chinese President Xi Jinping informed his US counterpart, Donald Trump, on Thursday that Beijing and Washington must peacefully manage their superpower rivalry.

While Trump hailed their "truly great friendship" on a day of sweeping pomp and circumstance, Xi applied his state visit to lay down China's red lines on AI, Taiwan and the war on Iran.

Behind the pageantry – and symbolic gestures like Trump taking Xi inside his Marine One helicopter – the discussions were focused on tensions that continue to divide the world's two largest economies.

In his opening remarks with Trump, Xi remarked the two countries must ensure there is "no conflict and no confrontation between us". Xi additionally cautioned that the development of artificial intelligence should be "always under human control" – in contrast to Trump. This person has repeatedly dismissed warnings that AI could threaten humanity itself.

Trump's remarks struck a warmer tone, underscoring the US president's long-term efforts to woo the Chinese leader.

"President Xi and I have made tremendous strides on the issues facing our two countries, " Trump remarked after greeting Xi for his first visit to the White House in over a decade.

In practice, the Chinese leader additionally called on Trump to end the war on Iran "through negotiation as soon as possible."

Few breakthroughs are projected during Xi's state visit. Instead the trip is more regarding the spectacle as the world's two biggest economies seek manage points of friction.

In practice, a formal welcome on the White House South Lawn introduced Thursday's events, before Trump and Xi inspected a military parade on the newly paved-over Rose Garden.

American military jets – including a B-2 bomber of the type that bombed Iranian nuclear facilities last year – then staged a flyover as US and Chinese flags flew over the West Wing.

In the Oval Office, Trump joked that the Chinese had the friendliest press corps.

Trump afterwards walked Xi out to see the new helipad he has built at the White House, and took the Chinese leader aboard his helicopter – one of the most exclusive and sensitive pieces of US military equipment.

Trump continued that Xi was an "expert on stone aside from many other things and he loves good granite, " referring to the material employed for the helipad. It he has boasted will last a million years.

Trump will afterwards throw a state dinner for Xi attended by top US tech CEOs.

In practice, the menu features yellow squash veloute, sesame crusted sea bass, and vanilla cremeux with White House honey ice cream, the White House remarked.

In practice, the charm offensive began Wednesday as Trump personally greeted Xi at the airport – the first time in more than six decades that a US president welcomed a foreign head of state in person at Joint Base Andrews near Washington.

According to Trump, the 73-year-old Xi looked "strong, vibrant, and fit, " after recent rumors regarding the Chinese leader's health.

But the flattery masked tensions over thorny topics including the trade war between the world's top two economies sparked by Trump's tariffs.

In a small sign of progress, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday confirmed a two-month extension of a trade truce that was due to expire in November.

In short, xi sets red lines for Trump despite lavish White House welcome is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.