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Friday, 25 September 2026dailybeirut.com
World
President Donald Trump hosted a formal state dinner at the White House for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, with top U.S. technology executives in attendance, concluding a day of talks on AI, trade, Taiwan, and Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump hosted a formal dinner at the White House on Thursday in honor of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, with top American technology leaders in attendance, concluding a day of talks between the two presidents covering artificial intelligence, trade, Taiwan, and Iran.
Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan arrived at the White House, where they were greeted by Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, before the Chinese president proceeded to the dinner held in the East Room of the White House, according to CNN.
Trump said during the dinner that his relationship with the Chinese president "has never been better," marking a notable shift from his critical tone toward China during his first term.
Meanwhile, President Xi stated that Trump’s pledge to "make America great again" and China’s call for achieving the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" represent ambitious goals that could "help each other achieve their objectives."
He noted that he had held "frank and in-depth discussions" with Trump and reached understandings on a wide range of issues.
"China and the United States must act as responsible major countries and respond to the aspirations of our peoples," he added.
President Xi recalled key moments of exchange and cooperation between China and the United States over 250 years of American history, noting former U.S. President George Washington’s interest in collecting Chinese porcelain.
He also spoke about the collaboration between Chinese and American forces in fighting Japan during World War II, describing that era as a "friendship forged in blood and fire."
Xi recalled the historic visit of former U.S. President Richard Nixon to China in 1972, pointing out that Nixon’s handshake with Mao Zedong marked the beginning of normalization of relations between the two nations.
"Like a river that never stops flowing, history does not stand still," he said, calling for continued cooperation between China and the United States in the future.
The dinner was attended by several senior U.S. officials and leaders from the technology and business sectors, including CEO of NVIDIA Jensen Huang, CEO of AMD Lisa Su, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and Tim Cook, former CEO of Apple.
The guest list also included Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, Greg Brockman, co-founder and co-chair of the company, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, along with members of the Trump administration, officials, diplomats, and business leaders.
The presence of top tech executives comes at a time when artificial intelligence occupies a prominent place in U.S.-China relations.
CNN reported that the White House barred its own reporter and producer from covering the arrival of the Chinese president at the White House for the dinner, after the network requested coverage using its regular editorial team.
First Lady Melania Trump oversaw the preparation of the dinner, which featured a design blending American ingredients with touches inspired by Chinese cuisine. The meal began with a "Vichyssoise" soup made from yellow squash, wild mushrooms, fresh herbs, crispy pancetta, and green onion oil.
As previously mentioned, he also spoke about the collaboration between Chinese and American forces in fighting Japan during World War II, describing that era as a "friendship forged in blood and fire."
Xi recalled the historic visit of former U.S. President Richard Nixon to China in 1972, pointing out that Nixon’s handshake with Mao Zedong marked the beginning of normalization of relations between the two nations.
"Like a river that never stops flowing, history does not stand still," he said, calling for continued cooperation between China and the United States in the future.
The dinner was attended by several senior U.S. officials and leaders from the technology and business sectors, including CEO of NVIDIA Jensen Huang, CEO of AMD Lisa Su, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and Tim Cook, former CEO of Apple.
The guest list also included Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, Greg Brockman, co-founder and co-chair of the company, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, along with members of the Trump administration, officials, diplomats, and business leaders.
The presence of top tech executives comes at a time when artificial intelligence occupies a prominent place in U.S.-China relations.
CNN reported that the White House barred its own reporter and producer from covering the arrival of the Chinese president at the White House for the dinner, after the network requested coverage using its regular editorial team.
First Lady Melania Trump oversaw the preparation of the dinner, which featured a design blending American ingredients with touches inspired by Chinese cuisine. The meal began with a "Vichyssoise" soup made from yellow squash, wild mushrooms, fresh herbs, crispy pancetta, and green onion oil.
