US President Donald Trump highlighted what he described as improving relations between the United States and China during a state dinner held in honour of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“As the leaders of our two nations, President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure, and we’ve never gotten along better,” Trump said.
Trump presented his remarks as a reflection of friendship between the two countries, despite longstanding differences between Washington and Beijing.
A gift for Xi
During the dinner, Trump also presented Xi with a gift created by an American artist.
“In that spirit of friendship, it’s my honour to present President Xi with a gift made by an extraordinary American artist, one of the greatest in the world and designed in personal collaboration with Melania and myself,” he said.