Trump and Xi praise ties at White House state dinner

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping praised their countries’ relationship at a White House state dinner Thursday, capping a day of talks on issues that still divide the world’s two largest economies.

“President Xi and I both understand we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure, and we’ve never gotten along better,” Trump said in a toast, according to Al Jazeera. “Together, we can continue to build a relationship that promotes prosperity and security for future generations.”

Xi said the leaders had held “sincere and in-depth exchanges” and agreed to pursue “a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability,” the BBC reported. He thanked Trump and first lady Melania Trump for receiving him and his wife with “meticulous care and consideration,” saying they felt “truly at home.”

The dinner came on the second day of Xi’s three-day Washington visit. Earlier Thursday, Trump called his meeting with Xi “great,” Al Jazeera reported. The outlet said the leaders discussed Taiwan, trade and artificial intelligence, while the countries also have differences over Iran. The BBC reported that experts said the talks had produced little concrete progress so far.

Both presidents emphasized areas of shared interest. Xi said Trump’s goal of making America great again and China’s goal of “great national rejuvenation” were ambitious and “can surely be mutually reinforcing,” according to Al Jazeera. He urged the countries to explore a “new approach for major countries to get along,” the BBC reported.

Trump presented Xi with a bald eagle sculpture that he said he and Melania Trump helped design. He also offered Xi and his wife a chance to visit the construction site of a White House ballroom, which the BBC said is still a year from completion. Al Jazeera reported that Trump showed Xi his Marine One helicopter and a new helipad earlier Thursday.

The dinner brought together administration officials, Trump family members and business leaders. Guests included OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, SpaceX’s Elon Musk and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang. Apple’s Tim Cook, Google’s Sundar Pichai and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg also attended, according to the BBC. Al Jazeera reported that LVMH chief Bernard Arnault was among the guests. The BBC said Cook, Huang and Musk sat at the leaders’ table. Protesters shouted outside the White House gates as guests arrived, and some were arrested, the BBC reported.

Melania Trump’s office said the menu featured “American ingredients with subtle Chinese influence,” according to the BBC. Guests were served yellow squash, wild mushrooms and pancetta, followed by sesame-crusted sea bass with bok choy and eggplant. Dessert included vanilla crémeux, sour cherry confit and ice cream made with White House honey.

Trump and Xi were scheduled to have tea with their wives Friday before visiting the National Archives. Xi and his wife were due to leave Washington later that day, the BBC reported.