US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Say Relations Have Reached a Historical Milestone

US President Trump spoke highly of the relations between the two countries at the dinner he hosted at the White House in honor of Chinese President Xi.

Emphasizing that relations between the USA and China have "improved" recently, Trump said, "As leaders of the two countries, President Xi and I know that we represent different systems; but the ties between our people continue. Our relations have never been better." he said.

Trump interpreted these words as a reflection of the friendship between the two countries, despite the long-standing differences between Washington and Beijing.

Trump also presented Xi with a work made by an American artist at the dinner and said, "In this spirit of friendship, it is my honor to present President Xi with this gift, made by an extraordinary American artist, one of the world's greatest artists, and designed with the personal collaboration of Melania and me." he said.

Emphasis on "sincerity" from Xi

Chinese President Xi, who came to the podium later, said that he had a "candid and in-depth" exchange of views with Trump and that they reached a common understanding on a number of issues.

"This meeting added a new dimension to China-US relations based on strategic stability and presented a new strategic road map for bilateral relations," Xi said. he said.

The Chinese President described the mutual official visits between the two leaders in less than six months as a "historic" development in terms of bilateral relations.

Xi said, "Today, we have come to another historical turning point in China-US relations. President Trump promised to make America great again; while the American people are taking important steps, China is also determined to achieve great national renewal, and China's modernization continues to break new ground." he said.

Noting that China and the USA should act as "responsible major countries", Xi said, "We must meet the expectations of our people, keep up with the flow of our time, and develop a new approach for major countries to get along with each other." he added.