WASHINGTON – Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the United States and Iran to return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Xi, who is visiting the United States, expressed hope that Washington and Tehran would reach a comprehensive agreement addressing the nuclear issue and other outstanding matters.
According to China’s state news agency Xinhua, Xi called on the United States and Iran to return to negotiations to help resolve the conflict in the Middle East. He said China has consistently maintained that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be respected and encouraged the relevant parties to remain committed to a peaceful resolution.
During the White House meeting, Trump said he had friendly relations with Xi and that the two countries were working toward balanced trade relations. He added that security and artificial intelligence would also be among the important issues discussed.
Trump said the United States would continue cooperating with China for a better future, describing relations with Xi as being based on mutual respect and the interests of their peoples.
Addressing a dinner hosted in his honour at the White House, Xi said the new US-China trade arrangement was good news for the global economy. He described China and the United States as great countries and said their peoples had a history of standing together against Japanese militarist aggression.
Xi called for greater communication between the two countries, saying dialogue could help improve mutual understanding and build trust. He also said many global problems could not be resolved without US-China cooperation.
The Chinese president said China remained open to US companies and expressed hope that Chinese companies would receive fair treatment in the United States. He also stressed that the two countries should coexist peacefully and avoid confrontation, saying conflict would harm both sides.
Trump personally welcomed Xi at the airport, in a departure from normal presidential protocol. A 100-foot red carpet was laid for the Chinese president, while the national anthems of both countries were played. Xi was also given a 21-gun salute and a military flypast was held in his honour.
