Trump welcomes China's Xi for state dinner at White House after touting "truly great friendship"

During remarks at the White House state dinner, Chinese President Xi Jinping said he and President Trump had "sincere and in-depth exchanges" earlier in the day, and "reached common understanding on many issues."

"This has added new substance to the constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability," Xi said through a translator.

Xi did not specify what the two leaders discussed or whether they struck any new agreements, but trade and AI were widely believed to be agenda items. The U.S. and China agreed earlier this week to extend a truce on tariffs for two months, forestalling another trade war for now, though the two countries have not struck a broader deal. The two sides are also rivals on advanced AI, with Mr. Trump arguing for light regulations in order to outpace China. Other major pressure points include China's relationships with Iran and Russia and the future of Taiwan.

Xi briefly recounted the history of U.S.-China ties. He pointed to President George Washington's purchase of Chinese porcelain, the two countries' cooperation during World War II and President Richard Nixon's moves to normalize relations with the People's Republic of China.

He said the U.S. and China have come to "another historic juncture," and argued the two countries' ambitions "can surely be mutually reinforcing."

"China and the United States must act as responsible major countries, meet the expectations of our peoples, keep pace with the trend of our times and explore a new approach for major countries to get along with each other," he said.

President Trump gave his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, a large bald eagle sculpture at the end of his brief remarks at Thursday's state dinner.

During a speech recognizing U.S.-China ties, President Trump offered Chinese President Xi Jinping and other guests a "special treat" — a peek at the construction site for the White House ballroom.

"In honor of you, you'll be the first people to step foot on that," the president said, suggesting guests could take a look after the evening's entertainment wraps up.

Mr. Trump speaks about the ballroom frequently, weighing in on design decisions and casting the massive, controversial project as part of his legacy. He has often argued it will allow the White House to host larger state dinners. 

"I can tell you that tonight, if we had it, we would've had way more than a thousand people [at the dinner] with standing room only," he said.

In remarks at Thursday's state dinner, President Trump called for the U.S. and China to "continue to build a relationship that promotes prosperity and security for future generations."

Mr. Trump, who has long touted his warm personal relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, called Xi and his wife "truly outstanding, amazing people."

"As the leaders of our two nations, President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure," Mr. Trump said. "And we've never gotten along better."

Mr. Trump traced the history of U.S.-China relations back to the European explorers who arrived at the American continent while scouring the Atlantic Ocean for new routes to China. He also pointed to early U.S. commercial ties with China, saying the two countries have exchanged "goods, knowledge, customs and ideas."

During a toast to Xi, he said: "May all of our people know a future of harmony, peace and success."

The White House released the invite list for Thursday's state dinner, which includes high-level government officials and several of the world's wealthiest tech executives. 

Among the notable people on the guest list are Vice President JD Vance and several Cabinet-level officials: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Todd Blanche, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

Mr. Trump's children – Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany – also got invites. 

The world's richest person, Elon Musk, is on the list. NVIDIA's Jensen Huang, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Sundar Pichai, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Amazon's Jeff Bezos and TikTok investor Jeff Yass also got invites.

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison is also attending. (Paramount Skydance is the parent company of CBS News.)

Other invitees include: 

• Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett
• House Speaker Mike Johnson 
• Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh 
• Blackrock's Larry Fink 
• Blackstone's Stephen Schwarzman 
• Casino magnate and political megadonor Miriam Adelson 
• JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon 
• Fox News' Bret Baier, Jesse Waters and Laura Ingraham

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump walked out of the White House's North Portico shortly after 7 p.m. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, then arrived in a car and posed for photos with the Trumps before walking inside.

Mr. Trump did not answer shouted questions about Taiwan, Iran or whether Mr. Trump asked Xi to free imprisoned pro-democracy Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai.

A group of demonstrators was audible from the White House's North Portico ahead of Thursday evening's state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping.

A woman with a megaphone led a crowd of protesters through chants like: "Xi Jinping, You're Not Welcome," "Free Hong Kong," "Keep Taiwan Free" and "China Sponsors Genocide."

Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, have arrived at the White House state dinner.

Several minutes later, fellow tech titan Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, walked into the event.

Other high-profile executives are expected to attend the dinner, including the CEOs of Nvidia, Qualcomm and OpenAI, CBS News has previously reported.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis questioned President Trump's judgment in hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state dinner at the White House this week, saying he's "worried about the trend of spending more time with despots and less time with democratic leaders of nations." 

"It's a WTF moment," the retiring North Carolina senator said in an interview with "CBS Evening News" anchor Tony Dokoupil on Thursday about Mr. Trump's red-carpet rollout for Xi compared to the reception that some U.S. allies like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have received. 

"It's not that Xi Jinping is coming here to learn how to become a democratic, capitalist nation. Xi Jinping is trying to understand how his opposition will ultimately embrace their worldview," he said.

Read more here.

President Trump took to Truth Social to voice his frustration that CNN and MS NOW didn't air the arrival ceremony for Xi, saying it was "made for television." Other networks, including CBS News, also didn't air the arrival ceremony. 

CNN and MS NOW, along with Politico, were banned from the White House last week. While a federal judge ordered the outlets' access to be restored, it's not clear whether CNN will be allowed to participate in the White House television pool. And as long as CNN lacks a guarantee that it will be in the regular pool rotation again, the other four networks that make up the pool also aren't participating. 

Members of the pool — NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and Fox News — are declining to provide video coverage of the president until the White House guarantees it will let CNN back in. Some networks chose not to air the government's feed of the event, since the television pool was not present. News outlets are still reporting on the event itself.

The arrival ceremony for Xi was not open to all media, but only to the pool. ABC News was the representative for the pool on Thursday. 

"CNN and MSDNC, to show you how fake they are, today refused to cover one of the Biggest and Most Beautiful Events to take place in many years, the arrival at the White House of the Highly Respected President of China, Xi Jinping, and his beautiful wife, Madam Peng," Mr. Trump wrote. "The event was magnificent — Actually made for Television but, because they're Fake News, and because they knew how good it would be, they didn't want credit to be given to "TRUMP," they refused to be there. That's why they have such poor Ratings. Tonight's State Dinner at the White House, for President Xi, will be spectacular! The Media will be in attendance."

Xi left the White House at about 1:30 p.m. He and his wife will return at about 6:45 p.m. for the White House state dinner. 

Xi did not answer any shouted questions from reporters. 

After they met in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump told reporters he and Xi had a "great meeting." 

But he declined to answer shouted questions about whether they discussed Taiwan, artificial intelligence or Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy businessman who was sentenced in February to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong. 

"We had a great meeting," Mr. Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn. 

Mr. Trump referred to Xi as an "expert on stone" who "loves good granite" before showing the Chinese president the new White House helipad on the South Lawn. Mr. Trump also took Xi inside Marine One.

Soon afterward, as Xi prepared to depart the White House, Mr. Trump again ignored questions about whether he had raised Lai's case with Xi. Again, Mr. Trump said the two had a "great meeting." 

 While Mr. Trump and Xi meet at the White House, the first lady and Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, toured the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in D.C. 

Waving both Chinese and American flags, children from a local Chinese school gave a choir performance for the first ladies. 

When President Trump visited Beijing in May, he and Xi agreed to pursue what they called "constructive strategic stability" — political-speak indicating a commitment to improve the world's most important bilateral relationship despite deep mistrust, suspicion and intense competition.

Four months later as Xi visits the U.S., Chinese analysts see little reason to hope for any major breakthroughs, and they say the bilateral relationship, far from easing, appears as strained as ever.

"I think after all these years, Americans should understand pressure doesn't work," Zhao Hai, an expert in Sino-U.S. relations and vice president of the Chinese Institute of Hong Kong, told CBS News ahead of the leaders' summit in Washington. "It doesn't work on Xi. It doesn't work on China, and it doesn't work on the Chinese people."

Read more here. 

Mr. Trump and Xi are now meeting in the Oval Office.

Speaking inside the White House's Grand Foyer, President Trump reminisced on the friendship he and Xi have had for years. 

"Im delighted to welcome you to the beautiful White House," Mr. Trump said. "Such a great honor. In May, we had the great privilege of visiting you in Beijing, where you received our delegation with spectacular and very beautiful hospitality. Now, Melania and I are honored to host you in Washington as President Xi becomes the first ever Chinese leader to make a second formal state visit to America."

"From the time of my first election in 2016, President Xi and I have forged a friendship, a truly great friendship, actually, built on mutual respect and the vital interests of our people," Mr. Trump continued. 

The U.S. president said he and Xi have made "tremendous strides" for their two countries, including on balancing trade and increasing market access for farmers. The president said the two leaders will discuss "pressing issues" about security, technology and AI or what he calls super intelligence. 

Mr. Trump said "both China and the United States are great countries." 

Speaking in the White House's Grand Foyer earlier Thursday, Xi said both nations are leading in artificial intelligence, and called for the "development of AI, always under human control."

Mr. Trump has been insistent that the U.S. must continue to rapidly develop AI to beat China. 

Xi said "cooperation may not solve every problem" for the U.S. and China, but he said it's necessary. The Chinese president also said he hopes Chinese companies are treated fairly in the United States. 

"We should coexist in peace," Xi said, through a translator. "As I have said many times, China and the United States, as two major countries, set to gain from cooperation and will both lose in competition. We do not need to avoid mentioning competition, but our competition should be a healthy one, and should be kept within bounds."

After he called to avoid conflict, Xi announced that two pandas from China will soon head to Atlanta's zoo. 

Currently, two zoos in the United States have pandas. The National Zoo and the San Diego Zoo both received pandas from China in 2024.

Read more here.

Mr. Trump, Xi and their wives entered the White House Rose Garden to a welcome from the U.S. Army Old Fife and Drum Corps.

Mr. Trump and Xi walked along the White House colonnade, lined with the portraits of U.S. presidents. 

Another U.S. military band then performed the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" for the world leaders as Mr. Trump, Xi and their delegations looked on. Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles are among the Trump administration officials present. 

The president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, who is not a government official, and her teenage daughter, Arabella, are present for the ceremony.

Mr. Trump then ushered Xi toward the Oval Office. 

Mr. Trump, Xi Jinping and his wife Madam Peng entered the White House foyer as "Hail to the Chief" played. 

Several White House offiicals were also in attendance: Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance. 

After journalists for CNN, Politico and MS Now were denied access to the White House Thursday morning — even though a federal judge has temporarily blocked the president's ban of their outlets — the television network pool is not covering the president's movements and remarks. That means that, as of 9:58 a.m., there won't be network coverage of Xi's arrival and visit.

Xi and his wife arrived at the White House shortly after 10 a.m., and were greeted by the Mr. Trump and first lady Melania Trump. 

Mr. Trump, Xi and their spouses immediately entered the White House. 

The first lady's office says the meal will begin with a toast of Schramsberg "Blanc De Noir," a nod to the "Toast to Peace" President Richard Nixon and Premier Zhou Enlai shared in Beijing in 1972. The menu as released by the White House is expected to be the following: 

First Course

Yellow squash velouté
Wild mushroom fricassée
Crispy pancetta
Scallion oil

Second Course

Sesame crusted sea bass
Braised baby bok choy
Roasted garden eggplant
Sauce verte

Dessert

Vanilla crémeux and honey ice cream made with honey from the White House
Walnut frangipane
Sour cherry confit

Ahead of Thursday morning's arrival ceremony, Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social about meeting Xi and his wife at the airport.

"I met President Xi at the plane (Airport!) yesterday and he looks strong, vibrant, and fit - Better than ever. Madam Xi, of course, BEAUTIFUL!" Mr. Trump wrote. 

In a separate post, he showed a photo of him and Xi with a plane in the background with a logo saying "Only Trump" written over it. 

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday that the red carpet shouldn't be rolled out for Xi. And he rattled off a long list of things that trouble him about China and the Chinese Communist Party.

"Quite frankly, had the White House asked me for advice, I would have suggested the president not invite Xi Jinping to Washington for such a lavish welcome here in the United States of America based on all of the troubling issues we have with President Xi and the Chinese Communist Party," Wicker said on the Senate floor Tuesday. 

Democrats, too, are urging Mr. Trump to think twice. 

"What China is doing in Iran should be stopped," Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut told reporters Wednesday, referencing reports that Beijing has assisted Tehran. "The president should not be feting and praising Xi. He should be telling him, 'Knock it off!' ... I can't go into the details, but it certainly is significant enough and possibly increasing that the president should be drawing a line here."

President Trump posted on social media on Thursday morning that AI will be a "big topic of discussion" with Xi. 

"A big day with President Xi of China," Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social. "Super Intelligence (SI) will be a big topic of discussion, but I want to leave it exactly where it is. That is China's position also. Our guardrail is the DOJ!" 

Thursday's meeting between Xi and Mr. Trump comes amid the arms race between the U.S. and China over AI development as many have called for international regulation. Mr. Trump has so far resisted calls for regulation, and told world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly earlier this week that "whoever wins AI, wins." 

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump have planned an elaborate arrival ceremony at the White House for their Chinese counterpart, marking Xi's first visit in over a decade.

The ceremony will begin on the South Lawn shortly after 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, and will involve a flag display, an Armed Forces Full Honor Cordon and the United States Army Herald Trumpets, according to the White House.

The ceremony will then move inside the White House, where a Marine band will play the countries' national anthems and Mr. Trump and Xi will give remarks and exchange gifts. A military review is expected in the Rose Garden. The ceremony concludes with a military flyover involving a B-2 Spirit and four F-22 Raptors. 

Starting at 11:30 a.m., Mr. Trump and Xi will hold bilateral meetings in the Oval Office.

Melania Trump has planned a visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art with Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, while their husbands participate in meetings.

On Thursday night, the Chinese leader and his wife will return to the White House for a state dinner in the East Room. They will be greeted by Mr. Trump and the first lady at 6:45 p.m., and the two world leaders will deliver remarks in the East Room just over an hour later.

The Trumps will also host Xi and Peng on Friday morning for tea in the Red Room before they visit the National Archives and fly back to China.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon will both attend the White House state dinner, according to sources familiar with their plans. OpenAI's Chris Lehane confirmed to CBS News that Sam Altman will be attending as well. 

Additionally, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon will attend the dinner, according to a person familiar with his schedule.

"Everybody wanted to be there," Mr. Trump said about guests for the state dinner. "I would say you have the entire tech world, the entire banking world, and a lot more."

Xi landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before 6 p.m. Wednesday, with his Air China jet rolling past six F-16s and six F-22s that were lined up on the tarmac. 

Before Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, exited the plane, Mr. Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived in the presidential limo, known as The Beast, and walked down the red carpet toward the plane. 

A U.S. Air Force band played as Xi and his wife walked down the steps and were greeted by the Trumps. 

The arrival ceremony — which included a flyover with two B-1 bombers, a 21-gun salute and the Star-Spangled Banner — was quick, and Mr. Trump and the first lady departed about 10 minutes later. 

One day before Thursday's state visit, top U.S. and Chinese economic officials agreed to extend their truce on tariffs for two months, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News.

That deal — struck last fall in Busan, South Korea — was initially set to expire Nov. 10. It lowered tariffs levied by both countries, paused restrictions on Chinese exports of rare earth minerals and said China would continue to buy large quantities of U.S. soybeans, a pledge China has failed to keep. 

The truce allowed the two countries to climb down from a tit-for-tat trade war that sent U.S. and Chinese tariffs to more than 100% at one point in spring 2025. Bessent told Fox News it was extended until January to "give us more time to see what we can do on the economic front."

Bessent, who met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng over the weekend and on Wednesday, said this week the Chinese have proposed a "bigger deal" on trade between the U.S. and China, beyond the trade truce brokered in Busan in October. 

"We're open to the idea of just continuing the Busan arrangement, or examining the bigger deal," Bessent told reporters Wednesday. "We're fine with both, and we're going to do what's best for the American people." 

On Fox News Monday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said there will be an announcement establishing a U.S.-China "Board of Trade," which will determine a "relatively small subset of goods" that the two countries agree they should protect from trade disputes. That may include things like low-tech consumer goods and some agricultural products, Greer said. The idea of such a board was discussed when Mr. Trump and Xi met in May. 

Artificial intelligence is on the Trump-Xi agenda, a White House official told reporters on a call Friday on the condition of anonymity, although the person didn't elaborate.

Amid growing public pressure for the U.S. government to implement more safeguards around advanced AI, Bessent shared over the weekend that the U.S. has proposed a new "notification system" with China to alert AI incidents that affect national security.

Mr. Trump's stance on that idea is unclear. His most-voiced concern about AI is the need for the U.S. to beat China, and he has spoken out against reining in the speed of AI research.

Trade restrictions also block China from buying certain advanced computer chips that power AI models, though Mr. Trump has allowed Nvidia to sell some of its chips to "approved customers."

Last week, Mr. Trump dismissed a report from The Wall Street Journal that Chinese entities provided Iran with satellite imagery of a base used by the U.S. military before an Iranian strike killed three U.S. soldiers and wounded four others in Jordan. 

Instead, Mr. Trump offered a nod of appreciation for Xi. 

"I think he's behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well," Mr. Trump said of Xi regarding Iran. 

China's trade relationship with Russia is also drawing scrutiny amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Last week, Mr. Trump signed a bipartisan bill that calls for hefty tariffs on the largest importers of Russian oil — a list that China tops.

Beijing is looking to reclaim Taiwan and wants the U.S. to stay out of the way, says James Lewis, a distinguished fellow with the Tech Policy Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis. The U.S. has a multibillion-dollar deal to sell arms to Taiwan, and "the Chinese hate that," Lewis said.

When Mr. Trump visited Beijing in May, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Mr. Trump of potential "clashes and even conflicts" if the Taiwan issue isn't "handled properly." Xi has said China's "reunification" with Taiwan is "unstoppable," and the Trump administration has given little indication it wants to intervene, despite decades of U.S. support for Taiwan's autonomy. 

"Xi has very definite goals with Taiwan and hopefully Trump won't misspeak and make any kind of concessions," Lewis said. 

Taiwan is far and away the world's largest producer of semiconductor chips, one of the many issues at play should Beijing move to take control of the island of more than 23 million people. 

The U.S. has a longstanding policy of refusing to state whether or not it would intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan, a practice known as "strategic ambiguity."

China experts say to not expect many tangible policy outcomes from the Trump-Xi meeting. Lewis said there "isn't much of a formal agenda" for the two leaders. 

"I'm not anticipating very much — I don't think anyone is," Lewis said. "Because this is largely for show. And it's largely a discussion between two very cautious and two very suspicious leaders."

"I don't think there's too much hope for policy achievements," said Jake Werner, director of the East Asia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. 

"Probably more than anything, Trump loves a show," Werner added. "And then I think … he has a desire to make sure that China doesn't use the power that it demonstrated that it has last year when it cut the U.S. off of rare-earth elements, and American factories started shutting down."