Jeff Bezos with his wife Lauren Sanchez, Photo: Reuters
US President Donald Trump hosted a lavish dinner in honor of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is on a three-day visit to Washington.
Trump said during the dinner that he and Xi “understand that they represent different systems,” but that the bond between the American and Chinese people endures and that the two countries “have never had a better relationship.” He added that the United States and China can continue to build a relationship that will contribute to the prosperity and security of future generations.
In his toast, Xi said that Trump has promised to “make America great again,” while China is committed to “a great national rejuvenation.” According to him, the two goals are ambitious and can support each other.
Trump and Xi spoke earlier in the day about Taiwan, trade and artificial intelligence.
Among the guests at the official dinner were Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Dell Technologies Chairman and CEO Michael Dell.
During the dinner, Trump presented Xi with an eagle statue, which he said was made in collaboration with First Lady Melania Trump. The Chinese president did not publicly present the gift to Trump during the dinner.
The menu included cream of yellow squash soup with wild mushrooms, fresh herbs, crispy pancetta and spring onion oil, sesame sea bass with young bok choy and roasted eggplant, as well as vanilla cream with cherries and walnuts and ice cream with White House honey.
Trump came to the dinner in a tuxedo, while First Lady Melania Trump wore a combination inspired by a men’s tuxedo: a white cotton blouse by Saint Laurent, a black silk belt, and black Dolce & Gabbana pants with a peony motif.
Xi wore a black suit, while his wife Peng Lijuan was in a red dress.
The dinner was held in the East Room of the White House, with subdued lighting and decorations in red and gold tones.
During the evening, Trump also showed guests the construction site of the new White House ballroom, which he called the “Great Hall of the United States” and said that the work should be completed in about a year.
During Xi’s visit, Trump sought to emphasize his closeness with the Chinese leader, praising their personal relationship, even as he called leading Democrats “communists” ahead of the November congressional elections.
The US president personally welcomed Xi and his wife upon their arrival at Andrews Military Base near Washington on Wednesday, which is unusual because US presidents usually officially welcome guests on state visits at the White House.
This year’s lavish dinner represented a major departure from 2015, when Trump, then a presidential candidate, criticized the pomp that accompanied preparations for Xi’s reception by then-President Barack Obama.
“Just take them to McDonald’s and come back to the negotiating table,” Trump said at a campaign rally in South Carolina.
He later said in an interview with Fox News that Xi might deserve “probably a double Big Mac.”
Xi hosted a similar state dinner for Trump in Beijing in May at the Great Hall of the People. The guests also included prominent figures from the tech sector, including then-Apple CEO Tim Cook and Elon Musk.
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