Trump-Xi summit: Four key takeaways from the Washington, DC, meeting

US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping seemed to put sources of tension between their countries to the side during the second day of Xi’s three-day visit to the United States , where he met with Trump and toured the White House.

Trump touted what he described as a “great meeting” with Xi on Thursday, as the two superpowers seek greater dialogue despite differences over issues such as Iran, Taiwan, AI and trade.

“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.

When Trump first returned to the White House, he announced severe tariffs on Chinese goods that quickly set off a trade war between the world’s two largest economies and warnings of wider fallout around the globe.

Despite such a rocky start, Trump and Xi have sought to dial back tensions and improve their personal ties, even if there is an understanding that core areas of disagreement aren’t likely to change.

The US president has sometimes talked about China’s status as a rising power as a source of admiration, even as those changes bring it into competition with the US.

“We had a great meeting,” Trump told reporters on Thursday, without offering further details.

For his part, Xi stated on Thursday that the US and China should take steps to avoid the “Thucydides Trap”, a term used by international relations scholars regarding the risk of conflict between a rising power and an existing power.