dexinwin Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump completed reciprocal state visits in less than six months, a development Xi described as unprecedented in the history of China-U.S. relations.
Speaking during talks with Trump at the White House on September 24, Xi recalled that Trump had successfully visited China in May. Less than half a year later, Xi made a state visit to the United States at Trump's invitation.
Trump's visit to China in May was followed by discussions between the two leaders on bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern. During that visit, the two sides agreed to work toward building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability.
Xi's September 23-25 visit marked his return to Washington after 11 years. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump personally welcomed Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at Joint Base Andrews, followed by a formal welcome ceremony and state events at the White House.
During their September 24 talks, Xi said that he and Trump had maintained communication through various channels and had worked together to steer the relationship between the two countries.
He said the new characterization of the bilateral relationship as constructive strategic stability reflects the realities of China-U.S. relations and expectations for the future.
Xi called for turning that vision into concrete action, with the relationship moving toward cooperation as the mainstay, competition within proper limits, managed differences and prospects for peace.
The reciprocal visits were accompanied by a series of high-level diplomatic events. Trump hosted a formal welcome ceremony for Xi at the White House on September 24 and later hosted a state dinner. On the morning of September 25, Xi and Peng met Trump and Melania for tea at the White House.
At the state dinner, Xi again highlighted the significance of the reciprocal visits. He said that the two presidents had conducted candid and in-depth exchanges during the latest visit and reached new understandings, adding substance to the framework of a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability.
The September 25 tea meeting continued the high-level engagement. According to China's Foreign Ministry, the two leaders agreed to further enrich the characterization of China-U.S. relations and work together to build a constructive relationship of strategic stability based on respect, fairness and reciprocity.
The rapid succession of reciprocal visits has provided the two governments with a direct channel for continued high-level communication. It also creates opportunities for the two sides to follow up on areas of agreement while addressing differences in trade, technology, security and international and regional affairs.
China's Foreign Ministry had previously described the reciprocal visits within six months as historical and significant, saying that high-level diplomacy plays an important strategic role in China-U.S. relations.
The latest exchanges do not remove all differences between the two countries. How the understandings reached by the leaders are translated into practical measures, and how the two sides manage remaining disagreements, will remain important issues for the next stage of the relationship.
The visits from Beijing to Washington within less than six months have nevertheless created a notable chapter in recent China-U.S. diplomatic exchanges and provided another window into how the world's two major economies seek to manage their relationship through direct leader-level communication.
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