Xi foresees ‘successful’ first visit for Trump

President Xi Jinping said on Saturday that he thinks a “special, wonderful and successful” outcome awaits US President Donald Trump on his upcoming state visit to China, which Xi said is “the most important event in the bilateral ties currently”.

Xi made the remark while meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

The visit is to lay the groundwork for Trump’s visit. The White House announced on Friday that Trump will travel to Asia in early November, with a stop in China.

“His visit will be a major opportunity for the development of China-US relations,” Xi told Tillerson.

Chinese and US teams should implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, grasp the direction of the relationship, respect each other and focus on cooperation while dealing with differences properly, Xi said.

“China attaches great importance to President Trump’s visit, and I look forward to working with him to outline and advance our bilateral relations in the years to come,” Xi said.

President Xi called on the two sides to handle their differences and sensitive issues through dialogue and consultation.

“The common interests of our two countries far exceed our differences, and cooperation is the only correct choice,” Xi said.

In the three months since early July, Xi and Trump have had three phone calls to exchange views on bilateral relations and global issues.

Tillerson conveyed Trump’s greetings to Xi, saying the US president looks forward to his visit to China.

Hailing the progress in US-China relations under the two presidents, Tillerson said the United States values its relations with China and hopes to increase mutual trust and practical cooperation.