Xi Calls for Stronger China-US Ties, Urges Both Sides to ‘Nurture Flowers of Friendship’

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump pose at the White House ahead of the State Dinner in Washington, DC, on Thursday, September 24, 2026. Xi used his dinner address to call for stronger China-US ties and closer friendship between the peoples of the two countries. Photo: AFP.

Chinese President says his talks with Donald Trump produced new understandings to guide bilateral relations as the two leaders strike a conciliatory note at White House State Dinner

Key Highlights

• Chinese President Xi Jinping called for stronger people-to-people ties and friendship between China and the United States during a State Dinner at the White House on September 24.
• Xi said his latest talks with US President Donald Trump had produced new understandings on several issues and provided further direction for bilateral relations.
• The two leaders had earlier discussed trade, artificial intelligence and broader strategic issues affecting relations between the world’s two largest economies.
• Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan at the White House State Dinner.
• Xi thanked Trump and the First Lady for their hospitality and emphasised dialogue, cooperation and closer exchanges between the peoples of the two countries.

Washington: Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for stronger China-US relations and closer bonds between the peoples of the two countries, using a White House State Dinner to emphasise friendship and cooperation after a day of high-level talks with US President Donald Trump.

Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan attended the dinner hosted by Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday evening, concluding a major day of Xi’s state visit to Washington. The two presidential couples posed for photographs at the White House before joining invited guests.

Addressing the gathering, Xi thanked Trump and the First Lady for the hospitality extended during his visit. He said the arrangements reflected the importance attached to the occasion and expressed appreciation to Americans who had supported the development of China-US relations.

Xi called on both countries to continue “nurturing the beautiful flowers of Sino-US friendship,” placing people-to-people relations at the heart of his message.

New Understandings After Trump-Xi Talks

The dinner followed talks between Xi and Trump at the White House earlier in the day. According to China’s Foreign Ministry, Xi said the two presidents had remained in communication and should work towards a relationship in which cooperation remains central, competition is kept within appropriate limits and differences are managed.

Chinese official accounts of the State Dinner said Xi described the latest visit as producing additional understandings that could provide strategic guidance for bilateral relations.

The Trump-Xi discussions took place against a backdrop of differences between Washington and Beijing over trade, technology, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and other strategic issues. Reuters reported that trade and AI were among the subjects in focus during Thursday’s talks.

Despite those differences, both governments used the state visit to emphasise continued engagement. At the formal arrival ceremony earlier in the day, Xi said he had come to the United States to carry forward friendship, expand cooperation and promote the well-being of the Chinese and American peoples.

The State Dinner itself also incorporated symbols of the long relationship between the two countries. The White House said the menu combined American ingredients with Chinese influences, while the opening toast featured the same type of American sparkling wine associated with the historic 1972 US-China diplomatic opening.

Xi’s appeal for friendship at the dinner therefore provided a softer conclusion to a day dominated by consequential discussions between Washington and Beijing, with both leaders signalling an intention to keep channels of communication open while managing continuing areas of competition and disagreement.