Trump and Xi to visit US National Archives following White House summit

Following their summit, President Donald Trump will take Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the US National Archives on Friday, where they are expected to emphasize their views on the history and direction of bilateral ties between their countries.

Thursday's lavish state summit at the White House appeared heavy on symbolism but light on substance, with no signs of major breakthroughs between the world's biggest economies.

Still, Trump highlighted progress under a bilateral trade mechanism, citing what he described as increased market access for US farmers and ranchers, while both leaders identified artificial intelligence as a key area for potential future cooperation.

Trump said in welcoming remarks to Xi that they would see some of the greatest treasures of American history at the National Archives, including the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

They would also view "artifacts testifying to the long and cherished relationship" between China and the United States and their "cultural exchanges," he said in his address.

"Just as our ancestors reached across the ocean centuries ago to trade, to learn, and to build a better world, our two countries do really the same thing, and we're very proud of it and the relationship," Trump said.

China has not commented on the visit to the archives, but analysts say Xi may be keen to see records relating to the US switch of diplomatic recognition to communist China from Taiwan in 1979.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, and Xi has long sought to persuade Trump to state publicly that the United States opposes Taiwan's independence, rather than saying only that it does not support independence, which has been Washington's official formulation for decades.

He is also keen to convince the US to halt all military arms sales to the island.

As expected, Xi pressed Trump on Taiwan on Thursday, saying he hoped the United States would "handle the Taiwan question with prudence." China's state news agency also reported that Xi "hopes the US side will adhere to the correct position of opposing 'Taiwan independence'."

While the United States, like most countries, maintains no formal diplomatic relations with Taipei, Washington remains its most important international backer and is bound by US law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

America's Asian allies will watch closely to see how Trump talks about Taiwan after Xi's visit.

After his May summit with Xi, Trump, whose administration in December approved an $11 billion arms sale package to Taiwan, said he was holding a second package, worth roughly $14 billion, in abeyance and described it as a "very good negotiating chip."

Craig Singleton of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank said Beijing may believe it has established a new policy baseline on Taiwan through its engagements with Trump.

He said Xi's use of the word "adhere" was revealing because "it implies Beijing believes Washington is already behaving in ways it wants."

"In the context of the current standdown on Taiwan arms sales, China may increasingly view that restraint as a new baseline rather than a temporary pause," he said.

"Beijing's objective is to get Trump to absorb Chinese red lines into his own definition of a stable relationship."

On Thursday, Senate Democrats criticized the summit, saying Trump had failed to secure meaningful concessions from Beijing on trade, security, artificial intelligence or human rights issues.

They also criticized Trump for failing to publicly address China's military pressure on Taiwan and called for the immediate delivery of approved military aid and arms sales to the island.

During the diplomatic proceedings in Washington, D.C., US President Donald Trump held a binder while standing alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping before Xi delivered a speech at a state dinner at the White House, capping off a day of symbolic exchanges between the two leaders.