President Donald Trump emerged from a lengthy meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday to declare that he believed he and Xi together can solve “probably all” the world’s problems.
Trump and Xi were discussing a series of thorny issues during Trump’s second day in China, including China’s willingness to put the squeeze on North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, and the U.S.-China trade relationship. Trump projected confidence on both fronts. He said both he and Xi believe “a solution” exists on North Korea. And he said the countries’ trade relationship — which he complained had gotten “so far out of kilter” — would be made “fair and it’ll be tremendous for both of us.”
Xi, meanwhile, said U.S.-China relations were at a “new historic starting point.”
Before the meetings, China rolled out the red carpet for Trump, treating him to an elaborate welcome ceremony on the plaza outside the Great Hall of the People before the leaders turned to their private talks. Trump looked on approvingly as a Chinese honor guard played the national anthems of both countries, cannons boomed and soldiers marched. He clapped and smiled as children waving U.S. and Chinese flags and flowers screamed and jumped wildly.
Before arriving in China, Trump had delivered a stern message to Beijing, using an address to the National Assembly in South Korea to call on nations to confront the North.
“All responsible nations must join forces to isolate the brutal regime of North Korea,” Trump said. “You cannot support, you cannot supply, you cannot accept.”
