President Xi Jinping of China opened his time at the White House with a subtle shot at America’s hesitancy to welcome Chinese businesses.
“China keeps its door wide open, welcomes American companies wanting to invest and do business there,” Xi said Thursday in translated remarks, as protesters chanted outside the White House grounds. “We hope that Chinese companies are treated fairly here in the United States.”
Xi and President Donald Trump’s remarks on Thursday kicked off a three-hour lavish morning visit to the White House, the Chinese leader’s first time returning since 2015.
The pair are expected to speak about multiple issues involving Chinese business interests in the American market, including questions about artificial intelligence competition and potentially allowing Chinese automakers to establish factories in America.
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Trump said in early September that he would support the idea of Chinese cars being built in the U.S.
“If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I’d be OK with it,” Trump told Fox News at the time, adding that he’d want them to hire American workers. “Japan does it, but they hire our people.”
U.S. automakers are worried about the implications of a possible agreement. A coalition of industry groups wrote a letter to Trump ahead of the summit emphasizing that China’s exclusion from the U.S. market is essential to American automakers’ success. The letter also pointed to the security threats of allowing vehicles with Chinese technology to be bought and used in America.
National security concerns about Chinese technology and business have existed for years. The federal government has largely established laws and practices to prevent certain technology, such as Chinese-manufactured cellphones, from reaching the U.S. market, fearing it would compromise security.
Earlier this year, ByteDance, the Chinese company that owned TikTok, was forced to separate U.S. operations after Congress passed a bill requiring new ownership of the app if it was to continue operating in America.
Xi also broached AI, which is expected to be a major topic between the delegations this week.
“We have both the capability and the responsibility to develop and manage AI for good, and ensure that the development of AI is always under human control and serves the well-being of the people,” Xi said.
Before Xi’s arrival, Trump reiterated his preference for continued innovation, even as some in the industry have voiced concerns about regulation being needed after instances of rogue AI agents.
“Super Intelligence (SI) will be a big topic of discussion, but I want to leave it exactly where it is,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday morning. “That is China’s position also. Our guardrail is the DOJ!”
After the initial remarks, Trump led Xi to the Rose Garden for a military review. The U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon demonstrated ceremonial maneuvers before the Chinese leader.
A flyover — the second that Xi has experienced since arriving — comprising a B-2 stealth bomber and four F-22 stealth fighters punctuated the ceremony, as the two leaders left the pageantry behind and reentered the West Wing to begin closed-door meetings.
Reporters awaiting the two presidents in the Rose Garden could hear distant protests, though it was unclear whether the protests were in favor of the Chinese Communist Party or against it.
Journalists stood behind velvet ropes facing the Oval Office, on the granite patio with which Trump replaced the grass, but there was no TV pool camera there to capture the opulent ceremony, because of the ongoing fight over press freedom after the White House banned several outlets.
The Chinese delegation stood in their positions, pointing at various places in the Rose Garden and White House residence, while speaking among themselves.
Trump walked with Xi along the colonnade, with Xi at one point gesturing toward Trump’s “Presidential Wall of Fame,” installed earlier this term, including the portrait of an autopen meant to symbolize former President Joe Biden.
Near the end of the visit, the pair strolled outside on the South Lawn toward the new helicopter pad, with Trump pointing at some of his new renovation work across the White House grounds as two interpreters trailed behind the world leaders.
“We had a great meeting,” Trump said, waving away shouted questions from reporters about Americans who have died from fentanyl overdoses, AI and Jimmy Lai, the imprisoned Hong Kong dissident.
Trump, whose White House has gone to great lengths to make sure this visit goes well, changed the subject to a more favorable topic.
Xi, Trump said, “is an expert on stone aside from many other things and he loves good granite.”
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