OMM Redaksiyası
Chinese President Xi Jinping has traveled to the United States with his wife as part of a state visit.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports, citing foreign media outlets.
US President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, welcomed Xi at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
The visit marks Xi’s first trip to Washington since 2015.
It is also the first time in 11 years that a US president has welcomed a foreign leader at Joint Base Andrews. The previous such reception took place in 2015, during Barack Obama’s presidency, when Pope Francis visited the United States.
In remarks on the visit, Xi expressed confidence that China and the United States, as major powers, can find the right path for relations in the new era:
“This year is decisive for the development of China and the United States.”
He also said that China and the United States should be partners rather than rivals.
Xi said that during his meeting with Donald Trump during the latter’s visit to China in May, they agreed to build China-US relations on the basis of strategic stability.
“China and the United States should move in the same direction and develop stable relations based on commitment to cooperation, moderate competition, manageable differences and peace,” the Chinese leader stressed.
A number of official events are planned during the visit. They include a state dinner attended by prominent representatives of the technology sector, a special military ceremony at the White House and a visit to the National Archives, where the original copies of the US Declaration of Independence and Constitution are held.
Another meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping is expected this year. It may take place in November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China or in December during the Group of 20 (G20) summit in the United States.
Xi Jinping’s visit is taking place against the backdrop of the broader importance of China-US relations to global trade, security and economic stability. Washington and Beijing are the world’s two largest economies, making high-level dialogue between their leaders significant for addressing areas of cooperation as well as disagreements.
