Xi-Trump summit wins praise in China after rare US welcome in Washington

It was not clear if US President Donald Trump's elaborate reception for Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington impressed Xi himself, but it made a strong impression on the Chinese public. Chinese state media closely covered and praised the rare airport welcome for Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, along with the bilateral and cultural events attended by the two leaders.

For many in China, the coverage suggested the country's rising status and pointed to a positive turn in ties with the United States. Several people interviewed, as well as comments on Chinese social media, praised cooperation between the two countries and welcomed the tone of the summit.

"I read the news that the U.S. reception standards for President Xi are very high," Xiang Ziyu, a postgraduate student in Beijing, told The Associated Press. "I'm quite impressed because it shows that our country has become really powerful." The official People's Daily newspaper gave its entire front page to the trip, carrying six photographs of the Xi-Trump meetings.

On the Chinese search engine Baidu, the three most popular search topics on Friday were the talks between Trump and Xi, the state dinner attended by Xi and Peng, and greetings extended by Xi to Chinese people on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival being celebrated that day. Shen Zuohang, a Beijing resident, said the coverage and the apparent agreement between Trump and Xi on trade, artificial intelligence and security were reassuring. "We have no trade war and no military conflict. Even on the issue of Taiwan we are moving in a good direction instead of having heated confrontation," Shen said. "The two sides are handling issues in a more acquiescent way."

According to China's Foreign Ministry, Xi urged Trump to oppose the independence of Taiwan, the island democracy that China claims as its own territory, and to handle the issue with caution. Trump did not immediately comment on Taiwan, but had previously said US arms sales to the island were open to negotiations with China. Xiang said the summit had, on the whole, sent a positive signal and would help improve Chinese public opinion of relations between the two countries. "It is better than not communicating," he said. Overall, the visit was presented in China as a sign of high-level engagement and a steadier relationship between the two sides.