Trump Welcomes Xi Jinping at the White House as TV Networks Stay Away

While the two leaders projected unity on trade, technology and artificial intelligence, the meeting unfolded without live U.S. television coverage after the White House barred several news organizations from access

The White House hosted one of the most closely watched diplomatic meetings of the year on Thursday, yet American television audiences saw none of it live.

As President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping for talks on trade, security, technology and artificial intelligence, major U.S. broadcasters declined to carry the event following the White House’s decision to exclude CNN, Ms Now and Politico from coverage. The administration has also continued to disregard a court order requiring the restoration of access for the affected outlets.

Standing alongside Xi before their private meeting, Trump struck a notably warm tone, portraying the relationship between Washington and Beijing as one moving toward greater cooperation despite longstanding points of friction.

The American president said the discussions would focus on what he described as pressing challenges involving security, technology and “super intelligence,” the expression he recently announced would replace artificial intelligence in official government documents.

“The decisions we make in these areas today can advance peace and prosperity for decades to come,” Trump said, presenting the meeting as an opportunity to shape the future course of relations between the world’s two largest economies.

He argued that the United States and China have made substantial progress on issues that have historically placed the two countries at odds, particularly in the economic sphere. According to Trump, both sides are working toward a more balanced commercial relationship, an effort he said includes expanded market access for American farmers and ranchers.

Central to Trump’s remarks was his personal relationship with Xi.

“With President Xi, we have forged a friendship, truly a great friendship,” he said, describing ties between the two leaders as rooted in mutual respect and in what he called the vital interests of their respective peoples.

Trump also revisited the history of their encounters, from their first meeting at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in August 2017 to his visit to Beijing last May. He highlighted Xi’s current trip as the second state visit by a Chinese leader to the United States and noted that it marked the first time the two men had met at the White House.

“A lot has changed since the last time he was here,” Trump said, recalling Xi’s previous state visit to Washington in September 2015 at the invitation of President Barack Obama.

The U.S. president also pointed to the trade commission established following his visit to Beijing, describing the body as a successful new mechanism for managing economic relations between the two countries.

Xi, in turn, framed the relationship in broader strategic terms, identifying friendship, cooperation and public well-being as the foundation of ties between China and the United States.

Thanking his hosts for their hospitality, the Chinese leader described both nations as major powers carrying a historic responsibility for development and progress.

Xi devoted particular attention to artificial intelligence, arguing that Washington and Beijing occupy leading positions in the field and therefore share both the capacity and the obligation to guide its development responsibly.

China and the United States, he said, should ensure that artificial intelligence serves the public good and remains under human control.

While acknowledging that cooperation alone cannot solve every global challenge, Xi warned that many issues would be far more difficult to address without coordination between Beijing and Washington.

He also reiterated that China remains open to American investment and business activity, while expressing the hope that Chinese companies operating in the United States will receive fair treatment.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)