US-China Relations

Xi and Trump at Banquet: “The World’s Most Important Tie”

At a banquet in Beijing, both presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump stated that the relationship between China and the United States is extremely important. Both called the bilateral ties “the most important in the world,” Reuters reports.

“It is one of the most important relationships in the history of mankind,” Trump said.

According to the American leader, the presidents have had positive and constructive conversations with each other so far. Trump again called Xi a friend and announced that the Chinese president has been invited to the United States in September.

“We look forward to it,” Trump said.

During his speech, the president also took the opportunity to point out that China has taken many influences from the United States.

“Today, many Chinese like basketball and blue jeans.”

Analysis: Trump was exuberant – Xi issued an old Greek warning

Chinese President Xi Jinping began his summit with Donald Trump with a hope: that both countries could avoid falling into the Thucydides trap.

According to the BBC's Tessa Wong, the Chinese president is referring to an expression popularized by the American scholar Graham Allison, which alludes to the Greek historian Thucydides' analysis of the war between Athens and Sparta. The Spartans are said to have become concerned by Athens' strong development, which led first to rivalry, and then to open conflict.

"He simply appealed to US leaders not to be afraid of China's rise."

In an analysis for Sky News, US correspondent James Matthews says that Trump's first words to Xi were considerably more exuberant.

- Trump talked about them being old friends, but I'm not so sure that's how Xi Jinping sees it.

The channel also reports that the reference to the Thucydides Trap cannot only be interpreted as a hope for cooperation – it could also be a veiled threat of war.

Xi's warning: Trouble over Taiwan could lead to conflict

Chinese President Xi Jinping said that negotiations with the US on Thursday morning had "mostly balanced and positive results", according to a statement in Chinese state media.

He also issued a stark warning: If the US "mishandles" the Taiwan issue in the negotiations, it could lead to a "very dangerous situation", which could ultimately lead to open conflict.

- He warns the US side in clear terms not to mess around, geopolitical analyst Joe Mazur told Reuters.
Trump's trip to China — it's about the point

Trumps resa till Kina — det gäller saken

• Donald Trump arrived in China early Thursday morning for a two-day state visit. It is the first time Trump has met Xi Jinping in nine years.
• On the agenda are, among other things, trade and the Iran war. According to Reuters, the US and China are approaching a tariff agreement worth around SEK 300 billion.
• Trump is accompanied on the trip by several American business leaders, including Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook and Nvidia's Jensen Huang.
• Both Trump and Xi have emphasized the importance of stability and partnership between the countries, which as recently as a year ago looked to be heading into a full-scale trade war.