International, September 24 : Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is visiting the United States, said at a welcoming ceremony hosted by US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday morning local time, “I am delighted to be visiting the beautiful United States. I thank President Trump and the First Lady for the warm hospitality extended to my wife and me. On behalf of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people, I extend sincere greetings to the American people and warm congratulations on the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States!

“China and the United States are both great countries, and the Chinese and American peoples are also great peoples. At the invitation of President Trump, I am visiting the United States to strengthen the friendship between our two countries, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and enhance the well-being of the people of both countries.”

Xi said, “During President Trump’s visit to China this year, we unanimously agreed to build a constructive and strategically stable relationship between China and the United States, which received widespread appreciation from the people of both countries and the international community.

“The interests of China and the United States are deeply intertwined, and there is also tremendous potential for cooperation between the two countries. Although China-US cooperation cannot solve all the problems in the world, it would be difficult to resolve many global problems without it. China’s door to opening up remains open, and we welcome US companies to invest and do business in China. We hope that the United States will treat Chinese companies fairly, and that we will work together to expand the list of opportunities for cooperation and shorten the list of problems. China is willing to strengthen cooperation with the United States in the areas of drug control and law enforcement. To facilitate personnel and commercial exchanges, both sides can further increase the number of direct flights.”

President Xi further said, “The two militaries should maintain regular dialogue and improve crisis communication and deterrence mechanisms. During World War II, China and the United States fought shoulder to shoulder against fascist aggression. The Chinese people will never forget this history, nor will the American people. The hope of China-US relations rests with the people and future generations of young people. Here, I announce that over the next five years, Beijing will invite 100,000 young Americans to China for exchanges and study. In addition, within the next few days, we will send two more pandas to the Atlanta Zoo.

“Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making the United States great again are not contradictory goals. We must continue to advance the friendship between the Chinese and American peoples and work together to build a better world!”

Source: Cai, Alim, Prema, China Media Group.