Trump welcomes Xi to a state banquet in the White House – tech bosses and protests accompany the visit

US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan to a state banquet at the White House. Among the invited guests on Thursday evening were the leaders of major US tech companies, including Tesla boss Elon Musk, Nvidia boss Jensen Huang and OpenAI boss Sam Altman. The guest list underscored the importance of conflicting issues such as artificial intelligence (AI) and trade during Xi's visit.

Xi's reception was accompanied by protests. According to the AFP news agency, demonstrators gathered outside the White House as Trump and his wife Melania welcomed Xi and his wife Peng to dinner. They chanted slogans like “Xi Jinping is not welcome.”

Trump had previously received the Chinese head of state with special honors at the White House. It is the first visit by Xi and his wife to Washington in more than a decade. The US government spoke of a “milestone in relations between the two countries”.

“We have never understood each other better”

Trump highlighted U.S.-China relations and his personal connection to Xi at the state banquet. "President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems, but the connections between our peoples continue and we have never understood each other better," Trump said in his table speech.

Xi also emphasized the common interests. Trump's goal of making America great again and China's pursuit of "great national renewal" are "both ambitious and can certainly reinforce each other," he said. Xi said China and the US are once again at a "historic starting point." Both states must act as responsible great powers and find a new approach to coexistence, demanded the Chinese president.

China emphasizes importance of Taiwan

At his previous bilateral meeting with Trump in the White House, both reached numerous new agreements in an open and intensive exchange, Xi said - without giving further details. According to China's official news agency Xinhua, they discussed the situation in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine and the situation on the Korean peninsula. Xi also underlined China's stance on Taiwan and expressed the hope that "the United States will stick to its correct stance against "Taiwan independence" and "handle the Taiwan issue prudently."

The USA sells weapons to the island state, which has been governed independently and democratically for decades, while China claims Taiwan for itself and has not ruled out military action to take over the island. The US government traditionally deliberately leaves open the question of whether the US military would support Taiwan in the event of an attack.

Journalists barred from state banquet with Xi

Journalists from CNN and MS Now were expelled despite a court order to restore their accreditation. According to CNN, the White House only allowed a photographer and a sound engineer, but not a reporter and a producer. MS Now journalist Laura Barrón-López was also not allowed to greet Xi at the north portico of the White House.