Xi tells Trump US-China ties are ‘most important in the world’, warns ‘never mess it up’

As China extended a ceremonial red carpet welcome to US President Donald Trump with a full military guard of honour, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday described the relations between Washington and Beijing as the “world’s most pivotal partnership” despite prevailing friction on several issues, including regional security, technology and trade.

He, however, also issued a blunt warning to the US President, asking him to “never mess it up.”

Advertisement

“We both believe that the China-US relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. We must make it work and never mess it up,” said the Chinese President.

He further characterised the US-China relationship as a choice between shared prosperity and mutual decline, asserting that “both China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.”

Xi told Trump that “our two countries should be partners rather than rivals”.

He further stthad that he and his US counterpart have agreed to “build a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability to promote the steady, sound and sustainable development of China-US relations and bring more peace, prosperity and progress to the world”.

Noting the “changing and turbulent” shifts in the global order, the Chinese leader said that “mutual respect” is the “key to whether the relationship can advance steadily.”

He further pointed out that the US-China ties impact not just the 1.7 billion people in their respective nations, but the global population of “more than 8 billion people”.

“The people of China and the United States are both great peoples. Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand,” he remarked.