Trump reveals date for Xi Jinping visit to White House, touts 'special relationship' with China
BREAKING: President Trump gives a toast to President Xi and invites him to the White House for an official visit in September:
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 14, 2026
"Thank you again, President Xi, for this beautiful welcome... It is my honor to extend an invitation to you and Madam Peng to visit us at the White… pic.twitter.com/ygH2GuT0B3
BEIJING, CHINA: During the highly anticipated talks between President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping on Thursday, May 14, Trump invited the Chinese president and his wife to the White House. He also touted “the rich and enduring ties between the American and Chinese people.”
The crucial meeting is not only expected to influence the ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving Iran, but also likely to reshape the strained diplomatic ties between the world’s top economies.
Trump invites Xi Jinping and his wife to the US
“It is my honor to extend an invitation to you and Madame Peng [Liyuan] to visit us at the White House this September 24, and we look forward to it,” Trump said during the 10-minute toast ahead of a state banquet in the Chinese capital’s Great Hall of the People.
“It’s a very special relationship, and I want to thank you again,” added the US president.
Trump's toast was largely focused on the history of Sino-American relations, which dates back to the arrival at Macao in 1784 of the first US Consul Samuel Shaw.
“Chinese workers helped lay the railroad tracks that connected our Atlantic coast to the Pacific,” the president recounted.
“American travelers to China helped spread literacy and modern medicine, and at the request of China’s ambassador, it was President Theodore Roosevelt who provided the funds to establish President Xi’s alma mater, Tsinghua University.”
“Many Chinese now love basketball and blue jeans,” said Trump during his toast before adding that “Chinese restaurants in America today outnumber the five largest fast food chains in the United States all combined. That’s a pretty big statement.”
The first day of the two-day historic meet concluded with a state dinner. Trump’s visit to Beijing marks the first visit by a US president to China since Trump made the same trip in 2017.
The last time a Chinese President visited America was in 2015, when Xi Jinping traveled to America during Barack Obama’s presidency.
Xi Jinping nods to Trump's MAGA slogan in his toast
The Chinese President Xi Jinping echoed the famous Trump campaign slogan 'Make America Great Again' during his toast and called for increased partnership between China and the US.
🚨 PRESIDENT XI JUST NOW: "[President Trump and I] both believe that the China-U.S. relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. We must make it work and never mess it up."
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 14, 2026
"Both China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from… pic.twitter.com/FjkqnBeucj
“Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand,” the Chinese president said. “We can help each other succeed and advance the well being of the whole world.”
“We both believe that the China-US relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world,” added Xi, referring to what he called the “changing and turbulent” state of global affairs. “We must make it work and never mess it up.”
“Both China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation,” the Chinese president concluded.
“Our two countries should be partners rather than rivals … Both sides should rise up to this historic responsibility and steer the giant ship of China-US relations forward, steadily and in the right direction,” he added.
