Xi’s pitch to Trump as tension bubbles below friendship

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has pitched his terms to US President Donald Trump for avoiding conflict between the superpowers.

The leaders met for talks at the White House on Thursday (Friday AEST) before attending a state dinner at the presidential mansion.

While Trump and Xi have talked up their warm personal relationship, the cozy words can’t hide US-China competition and tension. Both powers remain divided on the war in Iran, trade tariffs and how to best navigate advances in Artificial Intelligence.

The pair appear to be betting that a combination of personal rapport and mutual interest can prevent the competition from boiling over into open conflict.

“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,” Trump said as he welcomed Xi to the White House.

He was more pointed than Trump, saying Chinese and American interests are “deeply intertwined” and that the “competition should be a healthy one and should be kept within bounds.

Xi invoked the theories of a general and leader from Ancient Greece in a pitch to Trump about avoiding competition spiralling into outright conflict.

The US and China must avoid the ” Thucydides trap,” referring to the idea that when a rising power threatens to displace an established one, the result is often war. Xi offered a similar warning when Trump visited Beijing in May.

“It should be a race of catching up with one another, not a wrestle in which one either wins or loses,” Xi said.

Xi’s proposals include improving dialogue between the US and Chinese militaries during times of crisis and inviting 100,000 Americans to China for student exchanges.

Great scope for AI cooperation: Xi

“It should be a race of catching up with one another, not a wrestle in which one either wins or loses,” Xi said.

The Chinese president said both countries are major powers in AI and that “while there is competition between the two sides, there is even greater scope for cooperation,” according to a readout published by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

In contrast, Trump has previously said the United States must win the race for control of the advanced technology.

Trump has said any AI regulation should be handled by the federal government, but he hasn’t pushed Congress for any major action on the matter.

Trump pressed on Taiwan

During their private conversation on Thursday, Xi told Trump he hopes the US can adhere to opposing Taiwan independence and urged him to “prudently handle the Taiwan issue,” according to the Chinese state media outlet Xinhua. 

China has made clear it views Taiwan as the most sensitive issue in the US-China relationship. Beijing considers Taiwan to be Chinese territory and vows to annex the island by force if necessary. The United States is obligated by law to provide Taiwan with sufficient hardware to deter any armed attack from the mainland.

Leaders display ‘soft power’

It’s not all been hard talking between Trump and Xi with both indulging in some ‘soft power’ diplomacy.

Trump presented the Chinese leader with a large sculpture of a bald American eagle during the White House state dinner.

He said it was “an embodiment of the free and soaring spirit of America.”

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“We hope it will find a nice place, a wonderful place, in Beijing,” he said.

Earlier,  Xi announced that two giant pandas from China will arrive at Zoo Atlanta in the coming days, bolstering a loan programme that at one time had lapsed as part of tensions between Beijing and Washington.

China and the zoo had said in April that Ping Ping, a male, and Fu Shuang, a female, would go to the United States.

- With The Associated Press, CNN