Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that Beijing and Washington should be “partners and friends,” as the two leaders met for a photo-op at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, before their meeting over trade and tariffs.
This is the first time the two leaders are meeting in person since Trump began his second term in January.
Trump said that both sides had already agreed to many things and would “agree to some more now,” according to Reuters.
In a separate statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry, Xi said it was “normal for the two leading economies of the world to have frictions now and then,” while urging both sides to work together and “ensure the steady sailing forward of the giant ship” of the bilateral relations.
The high-stakes meeting comes as tensions between the world’s two largest economies have been on the boil this year. The latest escalation in tensions came this month, with Beijing export controls and Washington threatening to ban software-powered exports to China.
