"Sincere about world peace"…Xi Jinping praised Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump on the 30th called Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he met for U.S.-China trade negotiations, "a very dignified and respected Chinese president."

President Trump said in his opening remarks at the U.S.-China summit held that day at Naraemaru of Gimhae Air Base in Busan, "It is a great honor to be with someone who has been my friend for a very long time," and made these remarks.

President Trump said, "We have already agreed on many things and I think we will agree on more things now," and "President Xi is the great leader of a great country and I think we will have a fantastic relationship for a long time."

The face-to-face meeting between President Trump and President Xi is the first since Trump's second-term administration began. It is also the first in 6 years and 4 months since they met on the occasion of the G20 summit held in Osaka, Japan in June 2019.

On that day, just before the start of the private summit, President Xi told President Trump, "China's development goes together with the 'Make America Great Again' vision."

President Xi said, "Since President Trump's reelection, we have had three phone calls and exchanged letters several times and have maintained close contact."

He continued, "Under joint leadership, U.S.-China relations have generally remained stable," and said, "At consultations held a few days ago in Kuala Lumpur, the economic and trade teams of both countries reached a basic agreement on their respective major concerns." He also explained, "This has prepared the necessary conditions for today's meeting."

President Xi said, "The two countries have different national conditions, so they cannot always view issues from the same perspective," but added, "It is perfectly normal for frictions to occasionally arise between the world's two major economic powers."

He also said, "The two leaders are holding the helm of the great ship called U.S.-China relations," and "Even with winds and waves and various challenges, we must keep the right course and navigate through a complicated environment to ensure that the great ship of U.S.-China relations sails steadily."

He also offered praise that President Trump is sincere about world peace. President Xi emphasized, "President Trump contributed to a Gaza ceasefire agreement and in Malaysia produced an agreement related to the Thailand-Cambodia border," and "China, too, has played a role in its own way to resolve border issues between Cambodia and Thailand."

He went on, "China and the United States are two great powers that bear great responsibility for global issues," and "We want to continue to contribute for both countries and the world, and we hope that good discussions on issues important to the two countries and the world will continue today."

Beijing = Correspondent Eun-jung Kim kej@hankyung.com