Trump praises US-China friendship at state dinner with Xi Jinping

The two superpowers seek greater dialogue despite differences over issues such as Iran, Taiwan, AI and trade.

President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, China's President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan walk in the White House on September 24, 2026, in Washington, DC [Alex Brandon/AP]

United States President Donald Trump has thrown China’s leader Xi Jinping a state dinner featuring a tech-heavy guest list, as well as a number of billionaires, Washington powerbrokers, business leaders and the type of festivities that most excite Trump, who has a reputation for reveling in hosting parties.

The dinner on Thursday night wrapped up a day of talks between the two leaders. The summit, Xi’s first visit to Washington in more than a decade, is the second meeting this year between the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies.

Earlier on Thursday, Trump touted what he described as a “great meeting” with Xi, as the two superpowers seek greater dialogue despite differences over issues such as Iran, Taiwan, AI and trade.

“President Xi and I both understand we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure, and we’ve never gotten along better,” Trump said during his toast on Thursday night, The Associated Press news agency reported.

“Together, we can continue to build a relationship that promotes prosperity and security for future generations,” Trump added.

Trump has done his best to impress Xi during the Chinese leader’s three-day visit to Washington, and the US president praised their close personal relationship — even as he has decried top Democratic candidates as “communists” ahead of the November midterm elections.

Xi and Trump discussed tensions over Taiwan, trade and artificial intelligence during business hours, all while a First Amendment fight over press access at the White House was unfolding. But Trump publicly chose to focus on showing Xi his White House updates on Thursday afternoon, including letting him tour his Marine One presidential helicopter and a new helipad he built for it, before attention quickly turned to the flashy details of the swanky meal.

At one point, Trump invited dinner guests to tour the site of the new ballroom he is building nearby. Construction projects are a frequent digression for a president who has put a lot of focus on remaking Washington’s physical infrastructure.

Xi noted in his own toast that “President Trump has pledged to make America great again” and that “China is committed to achieving great national rejuvenation”.

“These two goals are both ambitious and can surely be mutually reinforcing,” Xi said.

Those who attended included OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and French luxury goods company LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault.

The dinner came after the president took the unusual step of personally greeting Xi and his wife on Wednesday as they arrived at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. Normally, presidents wait for their guests to arrive at the White House itself before offering a formal welcome.

尽管在伊朗、台湾、人工智能和贸易等问题上存在分歧，但这两个超级大国仍寻求加强对话。

2026年9月24日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普、第一夫人梅拉尼娅·特朗普、中国国家主席习近平及其夫人彭丽媛在华盛顿特区的白宫内行走。[Alex Brandon/AP]

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普为中国领导人习近平举办了一场国宴，宾客名单以科技界人士为主，此外还有许多亿万富翁、华盛顿权贵、商界领袖，以及最令特朗普兴奋的那种庆祝活动，他素来以热衷于举办派对而闻名。

周四晚的晚宴为两位领导人当天的会谈画上了句号。此次峰会是习近平十多年来首次访问华盛顿，也是今年世界两大经济体领导人之间的第二次会晤。

周四早些时候，特朗普称赞他与习近平举行了一次“伟大的会晤”，尽管两国在伊朗、台湾、人工智能和贸易等问题上存在分歧，但这两个超级大国仍在寻求加强对话。

据美联社报道，特朗普在周四晚上的祝酒词中说：“习近平主席和我都明白我们代表着不同的制度，但我们两国人民之间的联系依然牢固，而且我们之间的关系从未像现在这样融洽。”

特朗普补充说：“我们携手合作，就能继续建立一种有利于子孙后代繁荣与安全的关系。”

在习近平对华盛顿进行为期三天的访问期间，特朗普竭尽全力给习近平留下深刻印象，这位美国总统还称赞了他们之间的密切私人关系——尽管在11月中期选举前，他曾谴责民主党的主要候选人是“共产主义者”。

在白宫新闻发布会上，围绕新闻发布会的宪法第一修正案之争仍在进行，而习近平和特朗普则在工作时间讨论了台湾问题、贸易和人工智能等议题。但周四下午，特朗普公开选择重点向习近平展示白宫的最新情况，包括带他参观总统直升机“海军陆战队一号”和新建的停机坪，之后人们的注意力很快转移到了那顿奢华晚宴的细节上。

特朗普曾邀请晚宴宾客参观他正在附近兴建的新宴会厅工地。对于这位一直致力于改造华盛顿基础设施的总统来说，建设项目似乎成了他经常关注的焦点。

习近平在祝酒词中指出，“特朗普总统承诺让美国再次伟大”，而“中国致力于实现民族伟大复兴”。

“这两个目标都很远大，而且肯定可以相互促进，”习近平说。

出席者包括 OpenAI 首席执行官 Sam Altman、亚马逊创始人 Jeff Bezos、特斯拉和 SpaceX 首席执行官 Elon Musk、英伟达首席执行官 Jensen Huang 以及法国奢侈品公司 LVMH 首席执行官 Bernard Arnault。

晚宴是在国家主席周三亲自迎接习近平主席夫妇抵达华盛顿郊外的安德鲁斯联合基地之后举行的。通常情况下，国家主席会在客人抵达白宫后才正式致欢迎辞。