US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he believed he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had made progress in the bilateral US-China relationship during their first face-to-face talks.
Sitting across from Xi, Trump declared that his relationship with the Chinese president was "outstanding" during brief remarks to reporters after talks on trade irritants and concerns about North Korea's nuclear program at his resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump also said that he expects himself and President Jinping to overcome many problems, a marked contrast to the stridently anti-China rhetoric of Trump's 2016 election campaign.
As the two leaders wrapped up a Florida summit overshadowed by US missile strikes in Syria overnight, Xi joined Trump in papering over, at least in public, deep differences over issues ranging from trade to North Korea.
Also Read: Trump, Xi to Be ‘Odd Couple’ at First Summit
Trump, Xi Agree to 100-Day Plan to Discuss Trade Issues
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to a new 100-day plan for trade talks that will boost US exports and reduce the United States' trade deficit with China, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Friday.
Ross told reporters after the leaders of the world's two largest economies held their first face-to-face talks:
Given the range of issues and the magnitude, that may be ambitious, but it’s a very big sea change in the pace of discussion. I think that’s a very important symbolization of the growing rapport between the two countries.
Trump Presses Xi on Trade, North Korea
Trump pressed Jinping to do more to curb North Korea’s nuclear program and help reduce the gaping US trade deficit with Beijing, even as he toned down the anti-China rhetoric.
Trump spoke publicly of progress on a range of issues in his first US-China summit – as did several of his top aides – but they provided few concrete specifics other than China's agreement to work together to narrow disagreements and find common ground for cooperation.
As the two leaders wrapped up a Florida summit overshadowed by US missile strikes in Syria overnight, Jinping joined Trump in stressing the positive mood of the meetings and at the same time papering over deep differences that have caused friction between the world’s two biggest economies.
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