BEIJING: Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed US President Donald Trump with a handshake on Thursday in Beijing for a superpower summit on thorny issues including Iran, trade and Taiwan.
Xi greeted Trump at the opulent Great Hall of the People at just past 10:00 am (0200 GMT), a grand reception that belies the deep tensions between the world’s biggest economies.
As the start of their meeting, Trump told Xi Jinping on Thursday that the two superpowers would have a “fantastic future together.”
“It’s an honor to be with you. It’s an honor to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before,” Trump said at the meeting in the Great Hall of the People.
Accompanied by Trump, Xi shook hands with several US officials, including Pentagon Peter Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was known throughout his career as a fierce opponent of Beijing.
