US president the first foreign leader to be treated to dinner in the Forbidden City as Xi plays up personal ties with US counterpart
Beijing rolled out the red carpet and billions in business deals as US President Donald Trump embarked on his first state visit to China on Wednesday.
But the real test of the three-day trip will come with talks on trade and North Korea.
Ending the first day with a private dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Forbidden City in the heart of the capital, Trump was given a more high-profile welcome than usual.
At around 10.30pm, Trump thanked his hosts by tweeting: “Melania and I, THANK YOU for an unforgettable afternoon and evening at the Forbidden City in Beijing, President Xi and Madame Peng Liyuan. We are looking forward to rejoining you tomorrow morning!”
As the presidents toured the World Heritage Site in the afternoon, US$9 billion in business deals – ranging from beef to aviation – were signed between Chinese companies and the US business delegation led by US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang said the contracts were just a “warm-up” and there would be more “good things” on Thursday.
But a White House official said the United States was also looking for China to cut more financial ties with its nuclear neighbour North Korea.
Pyongyang’s nuclear programme is expected to dominate talks between the two leaders on Thursday afternoon.
China’s trade surplus with US hits second highest on record ahead of Trump’s visit
Trump and Xi are also expected to discuss the bilateral trade imbalance – just hours before the two leaders met, China posted trade data showing that its trade surplus with the US in October was US$26.6 billion, its second-highest on record.
